sentinelgroup@gmail.com
Priority on reparation works
Global events like World Water Day and World Earth Day, observed in recent months of March and April, respectively, are crucial areas for attention. India also officially participates in these events. But an inner contradiction is noticed in the State Government's approach to these issues. The call for sustainable use of fresh water on World Water Day is very significant. Assam faced acute scarcity of drinking water as well as water for cultivation in the dry seasons. Assam receives a fair amount of rainfall each year but is allowed to flow away and waste it. The government needs to conserve, save and store rainwater through modern techniques which will enhance storage for its use in the post-rainy season. Similarly, World Earth Day called for policy reforms for sustainable climate, reforestation, and reduction of waste to preserve the green environment. However, forests are fast disappearing, resulting in climate change, rising temperature, irregular rainfall, etc. Indiscriminate cutting of trees, earth cutting on the hills, filling of natural tanks, etc., are going on unabated, but the administration lacks interest to prevent the continuing assaults on the earth.
So, the dichotomy is conspicuous by not registering any breakthrough in these fields. The concerned authorities are urged to set up task forces to monitor the progress of the work of reparations round the year to draw the desired benefit from such programmes.
Pannalal Dey,
Guwahati
Startups as Assam’s engine of growth
The news article 'Represent new Assam and grab opportunities it offers: CM to students' published in your esteemed daily on April 26 is indeed worth reading, as the state’s CM Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma has rightly called upon the students, while delivering the 32nd convocation address of Gauhati University, that Assam has been pursuing a path of progress from semiconductors to green energy and IT to ecotourism with appropriate policies in hand. The CM's emphasis on the need for a new generation of students who are innovative with entrepreneurial skills and eager to embrace challenges to build the future deserves to be appreciated, as start-ups and entrepreneurship are also finding space in Assam's industrial development strategy. The Assam Startups and Innovation Policy has committed to nurturing 5,000 startups and generating 100,000 jobs in five years. The government is motivating young and budding entrepreneurs to start businesses in areas such as information technology, biotechnology and agribusiness through funding, mentorship and incubation facilities. The fast-developing digital infrastructure and growing internet penetration are likely to fuel their innovation, which can be only possible through the dreams and creativity of the students. Today, the startup movement has gained new momentum in the country. There has been a surge in innovative solutions to business and innovative business ideas pitched by the country's youth, wherein technology has played a leading role. It is, however, seen that despite their calibre, the majority of the startups face a common set of challenges to sustain and scale. There is a need to empower startups by integrating design thinking, creative capacity building and collaborative problem solving. Assam needs a vibrant and inclusive community of entrepreneurs to capitalise on the Government of India's thrust on building 'atmanirbharta', as the startups offer a remarkable platform for the state to become the gateway to Southeast Asia through the Act East Policy. The state's policy reform has no doubt given much-needed push to startups through multiple initiatives which seek to create a state of job creators instead of job seekers. The global landscape is ripe with opportunities for NE, especially Assam startups with a potential to drive innovation, growth and sustainability through international collaboration. So, let's launch a massive startup movement to help India become the third-largest economy in the world.
Iqbal Saikia,
Guwahati.
Reading books is magic
Books can be quiet friends, accessible teachers and patient companions. They can be portable magic that instils eclectic energy and unrestrained enthusiasm in an avid reader. No entertainment is as inexpensive as reading, nor any pleasure as lasting. As readers learn to read, the importance of reading to learn dawns upon them. Reading is a vacation as well as a vocation. An author only begins a book, and the reader finishes it. The poorest of the poor, but with a rich reading habit, can survive on their own. Top world readers have been voracious readers, though the converse may not hold true. Nevertheless, a reader is the leader of his/her own mind. Not sure how many of the present leaders think before they talk, but certainly there are very few leaders who read before they speak. Emotional and philosophical angles apart, reading literally preserves the intellectual prowess of an individual by keeping the brain healthy. An articulate speaker is a listener’s delight, and an un-ending appetite for reading is more often than not evident in that articulate speaker. Enhanced concentration and the ability to focus better are gifts the habit of reading brings unsolicited to the reader. Scientists have vouched for the memory boost that accrues after reading long hours. Comprehension, analytical ability and writing skills are known to depend on the reading capabilities.
Dr Ganapathi Bhat
(gbhat13@gmail.com)