Letter to THE EDITOR: Infrastructures

Infrastructures

Previously, it was a very common concept among the sports lovers of the state that our state lacks proper infrastructure in sports, due to which Assam was lagging behind. But of late, things have started changing, in cricket in particular. Within a short span of time, a sea of changes in the infrastructure of cricket has taken place from Sadiya to Dhubri under the guidance of the present ACA body, the parent body of state cricket. Many new cricket stadia are being built across the state or are under construction, even in the remote areas where cricket was once totally unheard or unseen.

We now have a full-fledged cricket stadium in Barsapara that is of international standard and has already hosted ODI, T20, and IPL matches successfully. So now the ball is in the court of the upcoming cricketers of the state to grab and utilize the available facilities provided by the present ACA and make their presence felt at the national and international level. Get going, ACA. We are happy.

Dr Ashim Chowdhury,

Guwahati.

Heat wave

There are a few things you can do to avoid heat stroke. Drink plenty of water and keep your body hydrated. Experts have asked people to drink cool drinks like coconut water, mint water, lemon water, fresh fruit juices, and buttermilk. Save your skin from severe sunburns by generously applying broad-spectrum sunscreen every 2–3 hours. Wear light and loose cotton clothing to remain cool and cover your head from direct sunlight. Use an umbrella when out in the sun, and avoid direct sunlight whenever possible. Have fresh fruit and vegetable juices with your meals and consume a plant-based diet. Keep the doors, windows, and curtains of your house closed during the day, especially on the sunny side of your house. Open them up at night to let cooler air in. Talking about why a person should not have high-protein foods in the current weather, Dr. Komal Malik, Head Dietician of Asian Hospital, Faridabad, told India Today that a typical non-vegetarian diet causes dehydration during a heat wave since food takes time to digest. A longer digestion process increases heat in the body, triggering dehydration. To help ease your stomach’s pain or increase body heat, have drinks like lemon water, coconut water, buttermilk, and fluids rich in electrolytes instead of tea and coffee. Spicy foods should be avoided altogether.

Jubel D’Cruz,

jubeldcruz@yahoo.com.

Miserable and

happy nations

Several renowned economists have assessed the economic health of a country using robust parameters. It started with American economist Arthur Okun, who found an undisputable relationship between the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate and the annual inflation rate. Steve Hankey, professor at Johns Hopkins University, has modified Okun’s criteria by adding the year-end unemployment rate ( multiplied by two), inflation, and bank lending rate and subtracting the annual percentage change in the GDP per capita from the sum of the first three. Obviously, high unemployment and inflation were bad. Earlier misery indices, that of Robert Barro included, focused more on employment and those looking solely at employment opportunities. That low inflation, too, could be related to unemployment was disregarded by the authors. Focusing on current data and on bad times were the other flaws.

The Hankey’s Annual Misery Index (HAMI) has tried to offset the earlier drawbacks by giving double importance to unemployment. Borrowing costs have also been taken into consideration. Of the 159 countries included in the study, Switzerland has been shown to be the happiest, followed by Kuwait, Ireland, Japan, and Malaysia. The downward spiralling of the debt-to-GDP ratio as a result of the “debt brake” has immensely contributed to Switzerland’s economic prosperity. On the contrary, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Syria, and Lebanon are the most “ miserable” countries, as per Hankey. The predominant factor that has contributed to the misery index ranking has been listed, and unemployment has been shown to be India’s bane. Apart from all this, the question remains as to whether inflation and employment are the indisputable and robust measures of a country’s economy.

Dr Ganapathi Bhat,

(gbhat13@gmail.com.)