Letters to The EDITOR

Tourism and social infrastructure

Central government's approval of Rs 12,882 crore for the continuation of different schemes under the Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Ministry is going to benefit the territorial and autonomous councils of the state in completing the ongoing projects. Rs 1,540 crore as a special package has been approved for the developmental projects of the councils as committed. Also, the ongoing schemes under the North Eastern Council (NEC) would be getting relief as Rs 3,202.7 crore.

However, the Expenditure Finance Committee's (EFC) recommendations for allotment of Rs 8,139.5 crore for the projects under the North East Special Infrastructure Scheme (NESIDS) is not something for us to be cock-a-hoop at, as the scope of development of the region through NESIDS is very large. NESIDS was approved by the Government of India as a central sector scheme in 2017. The guidelines of NESIDS speak 100% central funding would be provided to the state governments of the North Eastern Region for the physical infrastructure projects. These projects are related to power, connectivity and water supply mainly aimed at enhancing tourism and social infrastructure relating to primary and secondary sectors of education and health.

States like Assam and Arunachal Pradesh are still not able to utilize even their potential through the technically feasible generation of power. A large number of tourist spots in the entire region need major aid for infrastructure. If we analyse the scenario of social infrastructure, it is seen that we have got several healthcare institutions like medical colleges and hospitals, primary health centres, community health centres etc., well-planned infrastructure for educational institutions, a rising number of higher educational institutions, student accommodations etc. But the problem lies with the health sector, especially rural health. We have hospitals where doctors, staff and medicines are not available in most cases. Most rural health institutions are still lacking in proper infrastructure. Therefore the state, as well as the central governments, should consider the root causes of the problems faced by the public and allot and implement funds accordingly.

Er Bibhash Deva Nath,

Rangia.

Importance of books

Books give us everything that we need in our life. Books make us perfect in every field of life, without books we are incomplete and stupid. Books are indeed the best source of knowledge and information. Books teach you life lessons as well as difficulties, love, fear and every little thing related to life. Every time you read a book you will get new information and knowledge which is very useful.

But in today's era, instead of getting knowledge from books, it is being used for commercials, entertainment and some such unpleasant purposes. What you learned from reading the book: How much money can you make by selling more books than that: It has become important. Books are being misused for little entertainment. There is one thing that books are our real best friends, and it is true. It is because books never expect anything from us instead of giving us knowledge. So every person needs to have more respect for authors, publishers, sellers as well as books.

Chandasmita Kashyap,

Pathsala, Barpeta

Importance of book fairs

Book fairs are essential for encouraging people to read more. It is a crucial component in developing a literate society in today's world. It moulds a person's personality and aids in their ability to think clearly and come up with original ideas. Because we receive books from numerous publishers at book fairs, our variety is even greater. By providing kids with a large range of books to choose from that they can browse before making a purchase, they also encourage kids to read. At present, due to the influence of the Mass Media, people do not show much interest in reading books, magazines and journals etc. Despite that, book enthusiasts are seen flocking to the Assam Book Fair at the AEI Field at Chandmari each year making it a huge success. This is a call to the authorities concerned for organizing more and more such book fairs all around the state to develop reading habits among the individuals in the society.

Ajanita Kalita,

Guwahati.

Communal Axomiya

The eviction carried out by the government against all the illegal encroachers simply proves that most of the encroachers are not landless people as claimed by AIUDF and Congress. Some of them have land measuring around 10 to 20 bighas and have deliberately encroached upon government and xatra lands. Most of them are from the sar areas of Dhubri, Barpeta, Goalpara and Nagaon, and some of them have criminal backgrounds. In upper Assam too, there are huge sar areas in Majuli, Lakhimpur district inhabited by the indigenous people who are not involved with any criminal activities unlike those from Barpeta, Dhubri etc. Apart from being hardcore criminals, some of them are also hardcore jihadis as proved recently by the arrest of a few in the sar areas mentioned above.

It is a harsh reality that all criminal acts are mostly committed by people belonging to a religious minority community from sar areas of lower Assam. Yes, I am a communal Asomiya, if needed.

Dr Ashim Chowdhury,

Guwahati

COVID-19 has not yet gone away

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact communities around the world, it is more important than ever to take steps to protect ourselves and others from the infection. Hence, it is of prime importance to take measures to keep ourselves and others safe against the deadly virus. This includes wearing a mask, practising social distancing, washing our hands frequently, and following guidelines from public health agencies.

COVID-19 has not yet gone away. It is here to stay just like tuberculosis, jaundice and AIDs. That is why it is essential to take precautionary measures. As the saying goes, 'precaution is better than cure.'

People should continue to follow measures to reduce their risk of getting infected with Covid-19 by wearing well-fitting masks, following hand hygiene and physical distancing, improving the ventilation of indoor spaces, avoiding crowded spaces and getting vaccinated.

Jubel D'Cruz,

Mumbai