Need for papaya farming
The supply of papaya in the local markets of Darrang district seems to be much more inadequate than its demands these days. Customers find it hard to buy papaya for its dire scarcity in the markets. Ripe papayas are seldom found. The evening markets of local places in the district are devoid of the fruits favoured by the common people. My personal experience of visiting a few local markets in order to buy papaya as a fruit or vegetable was also the same as the above. I failed to buy a single piece of papaya in the Dighirpar weekly market for a couple of days and in the Borichowka daily evening market many days.
A kilogram of hard papaya costs at present Rs. 30 or more, which is a matter of concern for a common customer. Papaya is quickly sold in the markets, and the vendors are facing the same problem with the products. They cannot cater to the needs of the customers. To meet the needs, the farmers of the new generation should take initiatives to produce high-quality papaya of different varieties in a commercial way, leaving aside the traditional methods. In this way our local farmers can exploit the market and can get employed. Papaya cultivation has already become a very popular business crop in some other places out of our state, and the farmers are being benefited by it there. So, the new farmers of the Darrang district should come forward to start farming this cultivation in a scientific manner with the help of the government departments of agriculture and horticulture.
We are aware of the fact that the papaya is a good fruit as well as a vegetable. It is a nutrient-rich fruit with a variety of potential health benefits. It is packed with vitamins A and C and antioxidants, which can help boost the immune system, improve digestion, and promote heart health. Papaya also contains enzymes like papain, which aids in protein digestion and can be beneficial for gut health. The enzyme papain in papaya helps break down proteins, aiding digestion and potentially relieving digestive issues like bloating and constipation. Papaya contains antioxidants like lycopene, which may help reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering ‘bad’ cholesterol and reducing oxidative stress. Papaya's antioxidants, including lycopene and vitamin C, can help reduce inflammation throughout the body, potentially lowering the risk of chronic diseases. Vitamin C and other antioxidants in papaya can contribute to healthy skin by protecting it from damage and promoting a healthy complexion.
Kulendra Nath Deka
Dighirpar, Mangaldai
Lateral entry into CBI
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is heavily dependent on officers on deputation to serve its ranks. Also, the functioning of the agency is hampered by the reluctance of state police departments to lend officers to it and manpower shortages in the state police itself. Therefore, a parliament committee suggested that the CBI develop its own independent recruitment framework to appoint officers from the ranks of deputy superintendents and downwards to reduce its reliance on officers on deputation from the states. Lateral entrants into the CBI to oversee cybercrimes, forensics, financial frauds and legal departments would not be a bad idea. The Centre has taken a rapid stride in appointing non-IPS officers to some of CBI's key posts.
Five Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officers and an Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS) officer were brought in as Superintendents of Police (SP) in different departments of the agency over the last few months. Expectedly, the cadre officers are miffed, but the Centre seems to be keen to appoint domain experts to a few key CBI departments, considering the ever-changing complexion of crimes in modern society. That said, it is critical for the government to maintain a balance between the IPS officers and the lateral entrants so that the latter do not trample upon the authority of the former. Ensuring stability and continuity in the country's premier investigative agency is too important to be overlooked.
Dr Ganapathi Bhat,
(gbhat13@gmail.com)
Alarm bell on school dropout
The news article ‘Dispur forms team to check school dropout rate at secondary level’ published in your daily on June 1 has given immense pleasure to your esteemed readers, as the education department’s announcement regarding the formation of a dedicated team to study and recommend a targeted, incentive-based scheme akin to the successful ‘Nijut Moina’ programme can be best described as ‘better late than never’ timely intervention. It has definitely underscored the state government’s growing concern over high dropout rates, especially among students of classes eighth to tenth, belonging to vulnerable and marginalised groups in the state. In fact, if one goes into depth, they will definitely find various socio-economic factors as major issues in the dropout rate in the state’s educational sector. Children, particularly those living in rural areas, are highly susceptible, and often they leave the school to contribute to their family livelihood. The dramatic gap between the urban and rural education systems is a challenge for the student’s overall academic preparation and for growth itself. Construction and repair of schools in rural areas must be at the top of the list to be supported with general teaching materials and cutting-edge technology for ensuring an equal learning environment for all students. The school education needs professional development of the certified teachers, as it has become utmost necessary to adequately prepare the teachers not only to teach, educate and check the dropout of students, but also to inspire the taught ones.
The July 2 editorial, ‘Transforming the school education landscape in Assam’ has rightly pointed out that there is an urgent need for integration of vocational education with mainstream education as prescribed in the national education policy 2020, which provides a solution to the dropout problem, as it has been found that at the middle stage of education, it becomes difficult for some students to concentrate and learn in a dull teaching and learning ecosystem. There is another need to ensure active involvement between school and parents as well as school and community agencies in the participatory process, which is necessary to reap the yield of any reform in the matter of student enrolment improvement. At the same time, the importance of implementing social-emotional learning programmes in school cannot be overstated to make it a visitable, pleasant and accepting place for every child against the dropout rate. Let us hope that the team’s final, well-thought-out report will highlight a comprehensive strategy to tackle economic, social and geographical factors that contribute to the current trend of school discontinuation that cannot be prevented without a collaborative initiative of the government and society.
Iqbal Saikia,
Guwahati.
Points to note
India and Israel are perhaps the only two nations who, since their inception, have had to fight against Islamic terrorists, suffering massive civilian casualties. The whole world remained a mute spectator to such developments. Both the nations had to act on their own to retaliate. India, after the recent Pahalgam mayhem, resorted to Operation Sindoor, and Israel had to resort to Operation Rising Lion to avenge the Hamas brutality, which is backed by Iran, a country that is clandestinely preparing a nuclear bomb to decimate Israel. The striking similarities between Operation Sindoor and Operation Rising Lion are that both operations were directed against the terrorist infrastructure only, not against civilians. A point should be noted.
Dr Ashim Chowdhury,
Guwahati.