Editor,
I am not in favour of having a creamy layer in our Reservation Policy. This, to me, is depriving the intelligent students just because their parents have worked hard to make a good living, or just because their forefathers have judiciously invested their capital.
Depriving a member of our own community of a share in the reservation policy because of the economic status of his/her household, is to divide our community along economic lines. Our community has never had a class system even with the advent of the super wealthy elite. We should not advocate such division. A good mind is a good mind, whether he comes from a poor or wealthy household. What we need are more qualified and intelligent people, from among our community. If we implement the creamy layer system we will lose genuinely smart people, and the standards will be lowered.
What we need is simply an equal opportunity for all, hence I am in favour of 80% reservation for all native tribes of Khasi, Jaintia and Garo Hills, whether they belong to any economic category.
Moreover, we already have social welfare schemes for the economically weaker sections, whether it be ration cards, medical social schemes, or reservations. These are examples of positive policies. The government should formulate an education policy geared towards the economically weaker section and what is most important is to come up with a defined and measurable formula on how to improve readability and comprehension of the English language, in schools, so that our youth have access to key concepts of all subjects.
But a negative policy like demarcating a creamy layer division within our community, that will be deprived of equal opportunities to recruitment is not beneficial to our youth.
Yours etc.,
John Saitkhuid,
Via email
A lawless state
Editor,
The gunning down of Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf is not a new pattern of killing as the country had seen such types of killing which had shaken the soul of the country. Immediately after the Independence, Godse killed Mahatma Gandhi which was an irreplaceable loss to the country. It is unfortunate that a few people praise Godse and one of them is Member of Parliament from Bhopal – Pragya Thakur. Finally Modi had to intervene in the matter.
The second case is of Indira Gandhi whose bodyguard Satwant Singh killed her. Indira Gandhi was a deep- rooted nationalist leader and in her last speech in Orissa she had stated that every drop of blood in her body will be shed for the nation. When Indira Gandhi was told to remove the Sikh security personnel, she totally refused to act upon the advice. Ultimately, Satwant Singh, a Sikh, killed her. The third case is that of Rajiv Gandhi who brought the computer revolution in the country when some trade unions were delaying the implementation of computerization in the banking sector. After some monetary benefits to the trade unions they accepted the offer of the government. It was the LTTE extremists that killed Rajiv Gandhi.
The fourth case is that of Beant Singh, Chief Minister of Punjab. Due to his efforts, peace returned in the Punjab but the Sikh extremists killed Beant Singh.
The case of Atiq Ahmad was entirely different. He was a convict implicated in over a hundred cases and was jailed in Ahmedabad. However, he had filed an application in the Supreme Court that there are chances that he might be killed by the police personnel while shifting him from the Ahmedabad jail. But his request was rejected by the Supreme Court. Hence after his death the apex court should institute an enquiry under its supervision since Atiq had filed the application under the Right to Life.
The Supreme Court should also take cognisance of the statement of Yogi Adityanath which are totally against the fundamental laws of the Right to Life otherwise there will be chaos in the country and there will be no rule of law
During the Corona period twenty eminent personalities of the country filed a PIL in the Supreme Court under the section on the Right to Life but the same was rejected by the Supreme Court for which it was severely criticised. Now this is the same condition where the Supreme Court had rejected the application of Atiq Ahmad and he was killed along with his brother in Prayagraj so it is expected from the Supreme Court to bring justice to Atiq Ahmad since every citizen deserves justice under the rule of law.
Yours etc.,
Yash Pal Ralhan,
Via email
A delightful experience
Editor
Recently, I had the grand opportunity to travel on a round trip on the Vande Bharat train between Howrah Station and New Jalpaiguri Junction. This was my maiden trip on this new Indian Railways super-fast train, and it was an absolutely delightful experience. The total 561 kilometres each way distance was covered only in 6.5 hours in AC chair cars with broad windows, enough leg space, light, ventilation, comfortable leaning chairs and outstanding hospitality of the Indian Railways staff serving on the Vande Bharat. The toilet arrangements (vacuum sucking model) and the alert cleaning staff have been cautious in making the entire journey a memorable experience. The cleanliness and proper waste collection as initiated by the Government of India as a national priority; is very well demonstrated in Vande Bharat Railway service.
The travel was very smooth with only a few designated stops and the schedule maintained is highly appreciated. Furthermore, the quality of food served for breakfast, snacks, lunch and dinner must be appreciated. The food was warm, not over spicy or hot for the children traveling on the train. It was a healthy balance of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian items which were included along with desserts like gulab-jamuns, sweet curd and ice creams. The waste was meticulously collected and the supportive behaviour of the professionally trained railway staff with a smiling face and eagerness to help the passenger was an added bonus to the trip.
Yours etc.,
Saikat Kumar Basu
Kolkata
Temporary suspension of all recruitments
Editor,
The Roster System is a topic which the people of Meghalaya are deeply concerned about right now and rightly so. I would like to thank all the stakeholders and organisations that have taken up this issue in the public domain, but I would especially like to thank the Voice of the People Party (VPP) for bringing up this issue which is very close to people’s hearts by organising public meetings to enlighten the general public about this sensitive issue. I fully agree with the Party’s stand to halt all the recruitment processes until the matter has been resolved. Conducting exams by the MPSC at this juncture when a lot of confusion is in the air would do more harm than good for the youth of the State. So here I would seriously urge the government and the MPSC to temporarily suspend all recruitment processes, especially the written tests to be conducted in the coming months.
Yours etc.,
Name withheld on request
G20 and Space Power for NE India
Editor,
Created by George Lucas, Star Wars was not just a movie but an expansion of space technology across all facets. During the 1980s former US President Ronald Reagan wanted to usher the world towards the Strategic Defense Initiative, a programme using lasers and space- based missile systems to tip the balance against the Soviet Union. It is a great moment in history for Meghalaya to host the G20 summit stressing on ‘space economy’. Top agencies such as ISRO and NESAC are leading the frontier to the heavens with the aim of solving areas such as climate change, encouraging youngsters to embark on joint missions with foreign nations, predicting weather patterns among others. Northeast India with its myriad problems in areas of agriculture to natural disasters would gain through interactions, sharing of ideas and involvement of entrepreneurs to promote the preservation of endangered ecosystems. A 1988 book Cosmic Catastrophes by astronomer David Morrison stands testament to the mysteries of the solar system and what it has in store for us.
Yours etc.,
Christopher Gatphoh,
Shillong-10