Editor,
Apropos the article, ‘Declare EKH Green Zone,’ by Glenn Kharkongor (ST April 28, 2020), some key points on how Meghalaya can enforce health safety regulations and still be able to conduct business seems to have left out. What weighs heavy in every parent’s mind today is how to get the children back to school. Will schools use models employed in Germany where the student and teacher ratio is maintained? Schools will be in business and children won’t be left out of their future. Do our schools have the infrastructure to accommodate the changes on social distancing? Will this instead improve the child’s aptitude in the long run?
In China, they are using a similar an App like Aarogya Setu to determine if you can enter a commercial space to buy groceries from a modern market or enter a building complex. It’s based on your health status and depends on whether you are green or red. We know our urban landscape is congested. A good example is when we use our public transportation system. Will our taxis be able to adhere to the rules on how many people they carry? Are our restaurateurs or anyone in tourism industry ready to accommodate the change of behaviour in the manner in which they socialize? Can they enforce models as done in Norway?
For the MSME, which depends on inter-district movement will the Government be able to employ odd and even numbers of private vehicles for commuting to and fro and still maintain health guidelines? The answers are not easy. It’s just a question of whether we are ready to accept changes in human behaviour and be able to adapt since we have always taken the easy way out and use what’s convenient for ourselves.
Yours etc.,
Peter Wallang,
Via email
Future planning
Editor,
While understandably, one may be on perpetual guard against Covid- 19, our gratitude goes to the various authorities and organizations that are in the frontline helping those suffering from and victims of this terrible virus. We have seen and experienced goodwill, compassion and helpfulness amongst all sections of society irrespective of caste, language or religion. So what do we learn from Covid-19? One may say, only in adversity does human kindness find an opportunity to show itself. As inhabitants of the state we can say that the milk of human kindness and concern for each other continues to flow. And we are proud of that. But the moot question is where do we go from here? Nobody knows how long this condition will persist and those who have the expertise and knowledge will continue to be engaged in it but others have to plan for the future. There is a silver lining behind this dark cloud of Covid-19.We read in the national and international media how industries and companies owned by USA, UK, Australia, Japan, Korea etc., now located in China have decided to relocate to other countries and offers are being made to India. As a state we should take advantage and start lobbying for it. We have additional advantage like ambient climate, English speaking human resource of qualified young men and women and available unused land.
Planning will involve short, medium and long term from 5 to 20 years. Education and especially university education should start adapting and be attuned to the requirements of these industries and countries. We should start thinking out of the box to cater to the needs and demands of these countries like student exchange programmes, credit accredition of degrees, training and affiliation with foreign universities. We need to entice these companies with ready infrastructural facilities like roads, airports, railroads etc. However availability of land is the hardest nut to crack in the state. We have missed out many projects in the past because of non-availability of land. This is an area which social thinkers, intellectuals, matured young men and women should come together and mobilize opinion and attitude to convince people to seize this opportunity for future prosperity of the state and its people. We should remember other North Eastern States are competing for these projects. If we lose out then we are ourselves to blame.
Yours etc.,
T Mark,
(Former Director Education)
Via email
Lessons from covid-19
Editor,
The covid-19 outbreak has serious implications for the social, political and economic domains of the world. The covid-19 crisis will drastically impact the globe. As the pandemic rages across the world, countries are devising plans and strategies to deal with post covid-19 situation. As the pandemic recedes, nations will scramble for advantage in the world order. India needs to be more concerned at this point of time. Our revival in the post-pandemic world will be determined by how we deal with the crisis and how we emerge from it.
India needs to formulate many clear and coherent policies to confidently deal with the post pandemic world. Policies must be developed to revive the economy. Such policies must encompass all aspects of economic development. There must be a congenial atmosphere for economic development. Investment in human capital, hassle free functioning of industries, firms and establishments, the workforce doing its work efficiently without any hurdles – all these and more are essential for economic growth.
Policy makers must give priority to strengthening our health-care system. Pandemics and other diseases will emerge in future. We must be ready to face such scenarios. There needs to be a proactive attitude to combating diseases. Gaining population-level immunity against diseases is of paramount importance. The government must finance sufficiently for medical researches and vaccine development. Sufficient number of laboratories must be set up and medical equipment and test kits must be produced within the country so that there is no need to depend on other countries for all these.
Policies must be developed to enable people to adapt themselves to new ways of life. People must be sensitized about the importance of maintaining hygiene. Sanitization, hand washing, social distancing etc., must become ways of life. Public actions must enable and encourage desired behaviors, rather than restrict and punish undesired ones.
There must be radical changes in our education system. The focus must be on developing scientific temper in students. There must be scope for doing research work and arriving at scientific conclusions. Students must be encouraged to think creatively and logically. Teaching and learning must be based on concept development. Learning by rote must be discouraged. Students must be able to solve the problems they face in their day-to-day life on their own.
We must learn lessons from the pandemic that has been wreaking havoc across the world. The policies developed by the gover-nment must enable people to lead a better life. By taking sensible decisions and measures the central and state governments can equip people to face the post-covid 19 world confidently.
Yours etc.
Venu GS
Via email