Editor,
Hundreds of people without masks would gather inside a house in Ri Bhoi district every day to hear from a controversial pastor who has spoken out against face masks during the coronavirus pandemic. Those in attendance were not wearing masks or maintaining social distancing, as required by the state’s Covid mandate. Pastor Suting from the Church Of God has amassed a huge amount of followers for his unrepentant defiance of government mandates as the coronavirus spreads across this state.
There is a faction in this state who have taken delight in pushing false narratives with all kinds of issues in our society. The one that are most detrimental centre around COVID 19. Doctors have presented the public with plain information that is understandable regarding risk factors and mitigation measures. The facts are clear: vaccines and masks save lives. Every legitimate study on these issues has shown this to be true. But instead of accepting the science, too many have believed fringe persons, including the infamous pastor, and taken up the cause of bizarre medications and anti-mask fervour.
The idea that wearing a mask is a form of control is ludicrous. Masks help prevent the spread of germs. This has been known for at least a century. Your individual right to not wear a mask does not override the rights of others to stay disease free in a pandemic. The public good is greater than your right to be a non- comformist. Mask wearing is not always comfortable, but when it saves lives, I will do it gladly.
By saying that your religious freedom is being infringed upon raises the question as to what is your religion? “The Holy Church of I want to get COVID?” If your religion tells you not to wear masks and not get vaccines then why do you go to the hospital when you get COVID and can’t breathe? Go on, live out your so-called religious freedom and become a martyr for the cause. There are sick people without COVID who can’t get hospital beds because COVID deniers are filling them.
The fundamental right guaranteed by Article 25-28 of the Constitution of India gives you the freedom to worship as you see fit. But it also forbids the recognition of any particular religion as a state religion. People in contemporary society confuse the lack of a recognition of their beliefs as the official belief structure of the country as being discriminated against.
I request the concerned authorities to take legal action against the church and the pastor for violating Article-21 (Not wearing masks and endangering others is harming the fundamental right to life) and for not complying with the State’s Covid mandates.
Yours etc;
Josh Nicholls Kharsyntiew
Shillong -6
Global hunger index
Editor,
The latest Global Hunger Index indicates that if urgent measures are not taken, the goal set by the UNO in 2015 to end world hunger by 2030 may become an unattainable target. It has been reported that India has slipped to 101st position on the index of 116 countries and is behind Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. In 2020, India had ranked 94 out of 107 countries.
Weak economy in the wake of the pandemic, climate change , conflicts and wars have contributed to rise in global hunger. This report comes close on the heels of the UN data showing that the number of undernourished people last year increased from 320 million to 2.4 billion-equal to a third of the world population. Factors such as diet quality, stunted growth among children and child mortality reflect the impact of hunger on people’s health. It must be understood that 50 countries around the world are in an alarming situation.
It is a fact that frequent and intense weather conditions increase food insecurity. Some regions of the world experience higher levels of hunger because of lack of preparedness for climate change. Dependence on a single type of crop makes people vulnerable to climate change. Reliance on specific types of crops and loss of biodiversity make matters worse. As climate justice is not dealt with, countries with less carbon emissions face the consequences of climate change. With regard to the impact of the pandemic on people, it is estimated that the number of undernourished people will rise by 30 million by 2030 and 2.6 million children could suffer from stunted growth between 2020 and 2022 in low and middle income countries. Further, conflicts and wars have contributed to high levels of hunger in several countries.
People have a right to access adequate and nutritious food. Rise in hunger levels of millions of people indicates that their human rights are violated.
Yours etc.,
Venu GS,
Kollam