Editor,
Let it be known to everybody that ‘there are three sides to every story- yours, mine and the truth.’ Every piece of information must not be shared randomly by anyone unless the news media reports it. Journalists have been given the right to report about anything and everything in detail. They are trained for their jobs and have a proper forum to bring out every information before the public!
These days, however, people themselves are reporting faster than the journalists. Invention of news entirely from thin air is like everybody’s cup of tea now. By forwarding it through any social medium, they lure the public with whatever information they disseminate, intentionally or unintentionally. As simple as it is for the second person, who has just received the information, to simply tap their fingers on the SEND button, it is imperative that one must VERIFY the information-WHERE it came from, WHEN and HOW it was brought forward. Let our hearts be intrigued to find out the facts and lets cross-check whether the information that we received is authentic or not.
Little knowledge is actually dangerous but worse is the IGNORANCE for not doing our part in curbing fake news. We should be more sluggish about sharing any information on what we know very little of, because being regretful for sharing a false information is irreparable. On the other hand, by being fully knowledgeable about any event and thus having a positive accountability for it, we become a good medium for disseminating an important news to the society.
The disadvantages (cons) of social media must be regarded as equally important as the pros of it. In times of distress and uncertainty such as the present moment, circumstances call for smart actions. Our single smart move can help prevent a catastrophe from happening. We need to find ourselves a forum which is authentic and certified and let’s not believe or rely on any random source for our information.
I urge both the news media reporters and the people alike to be vigilant, responsible and tactful to avoid exploitation of communication.
Yours etc.,
Marvin Kharsohnoh
Shillong
Reviving the economy
Editor,
Admittedly, the Covid-19 pandemic has thrown everything out of gear across the world and China in particular is going to suffer in the immediate future as a backlash of the policy it followed especially during the Covid-19 outbreak. It may be pertinent to note that the United States of America sounded peeved about not being told of the details of coronavirus pandemic when it broke out in China. If China had disclosed details about the pandemic in the initial stages itself to the world, thousands of deaths could have been averted and the world could have taken preventive measures. Leading countries in the world feel offended by the Chinese irresponsible action, and so these countries are mightily offended.
The US too is very aggrieved at this and its allies too have taken some common resolution against China. As a result many international high-tech giants like Samsung, Apple etc., have decided to shift from China and have started seeking other locations to start their production. Three countries are there before them- India, Thailand and Vietnam. Seizing this opportunity, India must compete aggressively by offering the best infrastructural facilities, good working atmosphere 24X7, cheaper manpower etc., which the tech companies cannot ignore.
It may be pertinent to note that many companies have already started shifting from China prior to the coronavirus outbreak due to the rising input costs and the US-China trade war. Jaguar Land Rover has started shifting to the UK from China while Samsung electronics decided to shift its production of premium flagship phones to Vietnam.
However, the government last month notified three schemes with incentives totalling Rs 48,000 crore to boost mobile phone manufacturing in the country and the dominant production-linked incentive scheme has the lion’s share of close to Rs.41,000 crore with sops to be spread over three years. The aim is to attract top smartphone players like Apple, Samsung, Oppo and Vivo to set up their entire value chain in India, and make the country their export hub. Needlessly, China is the third-largest trade partner for India when it comes to exports with a total trade value over $16.3 billion in 2018.
In the post-Covid-19 scenario, India stands to gain much capitalizing on China’s losses. If India is able to strike the iron while it is hot, India will surely become an economic power by 2022.
Yours etc.,
TK Nandanan,
Via email
Developing herd immunity
Editor,
The economic impact of covid-19 on India will depend on a number of factors : the virus spread, the effectiveness of the policy response and how the abrupt shift in supply and demand further compound the economic damage. As India’s economic development depends on the ability of the workforce to do their work efficiently, effective treatment methods must be devised to reduce the rates of fatality and infection that prevent the labour force from coming back to work. The term labour force mainly means young people who play a vital role in reviving the economy. Hence maintaining their immunity is very important. As the lockdown is eased, the elderly need to be protected. But India’s working population will be a great asset. Only they can put the economy back on track.
Here comes the importance of herd immunity. It is a strategy for containing the transmission of a pandemic. Herd immunity is achieved when enough people in a population have immunity to an infection to be able to effectively stop that disease from spreading. Experts say 50 to 55% of a population will have to get infected before herd immunity is achieved. Enough people will have to become immune to the disease to slow its spread. If we don’t have a vaccine as we don’t for covid-19, achieving herd immunity would require a significant proportion of the people to be infected and recover from covid-19. There must be enhanced measures to protect the elderly. By slowing the spread of the disease, we might be able to develop treatment or vaccine.
Protecting the elderly requires much efforts. They are likely to contract the disease and sufficient care and attention must be given to them. Death rate of covid-19 infected elderly people are very high around the world. If they have any other diseases, their lives are at risk. The elderly must be advised to stay home and avoid contact with others. They have to strictly follow the hygiene protocols. While we protect the elderly, the young will be sent out. If the elderly can be protected for a period of six months till the virus runs through the young people, they will also be safer as the virus will not be able to jump from person to person. There are 16 crore people above 60 years of age in India. Their protection is an important element of herd immunity.
Defeating the coronavirus has become a common goal of all countries. In order to achieve this goal joint efforts are required. Indian government alone cannot fight the virus. Defeating the virus by acquiring immunity against it is the best choice now. In the absence of a vaccine, the young are India’s coronavirus soldiers. Their immunity will prevent the spread of the virus.
Yours etc.,
Venu GS,
Via e mail