Letters to the Editor: APSC language paper and existence crisis

Through your esteemed daily, I want to draw your attention to the letter written by one Mr Abhilash Borah. He is saying a mere 25-26% doesn't make one an able civil servant and good policymaker. But it will surely make one a better communicator with the general public. And it's the basic knowledge of the language where the ones giving excuses are either too ignorant or incompetent to learn the state's office where the notification for the examination was given 12 months back. State civil services or State PCS are mostly working and communicating with the grassroots level and implementation of the policies made by legislature and executive (mostly IAS in the form of Deputy Commissioners). Only after 10-15 years once they reach the level of ADC (for ACS) or SP (for APS) etc they get an autonomous role in policymaking. And there too the importance to read, write and understand local language is of utmost importance. Thus IAS/IPS allotted outsider quota and posted in a non-home state is trained for 3 months in the allotted state's official language. Now even in the updated training regime of SVPNPA, the IPS probationers are trained in the language of the state in where they posted in the last leg of their training programme.

The importance of the state's official language in state PCS examination is not just as seen in the case of Assam's hue and cry. Many states like Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, West Bengal, Orissa, Tamil Nadu etc have compulsory language papers and these states mostly have a much higher selection percentage in UPSC CSE. One of the most important factors is due to the similarity of the syllabus which includes a compulsory language paper as well. No hue and cry and scholarly quotes are presented to oppose it. It is because civil service examination as a whole is 'survival of the fittest and adequate knowledge of almost everything under the sun.

The author actually is concerned that there is a partial exemption for candidates of Barak valley who didn't have Assamese/Bengali/Bodo till the 10th standard and the relative advantage those candidates will have. According to me, this selective exemption is the root cause of the discord and that order should have been withdrawn. This would have prevented litigations in GHC.

A language dies a slow death in the era of globalization. English is another official language in Assam. This is not limited to the Assamese language only. A country, Pakistan built on the basis of religion is now stands split into two due to fear of East Pakistanis that their language, Bengali will become extinct. And the same happened in undivided states like Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Maharashtra etc. In Assam, we do see even more protests and sacrifices of people since 1834 when Bengali replaced Assamese as the official language in Assam. Similar fears of its repetition in the medium movement and language movement in the 1960s. Similar fears are resultant in the anti-CAA movement in 2019 and 2020. These fears are genuine as there is a saying, "You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time."

And the language paper may not be a yardstick but it will make the candidates at least make an effort to learn to read and write the language and thus will only benefit in better administration and governance. Now, with private centres employing Assamese language teachers for the same and offering the programmes at a reasonable cost, the same can be done by the government too as already the same is done in Assam Administrative Staff College and Dergaon Police Training Academy for IAS/IPS from other states when they get posted here. Also as Bodo is also now an associate official language. The removal of the same from the list of languages for qualifying language papers will only cause a hurdle in its baby steps for moving forward.

Robin Bora

(borarobin20@gmail.com)

Everything is possible

Very recently I came across a photograph in some leading dailies which depicted three AIUDF MLAs were sitting on the street with placards on their hands protesting against the alleged government's apathy towards the Asomiya language in APSC examination. I wonder if those 3 AIUDF MLAs ever contacted their comrades in Barak Valley for the said purpose and I shall be thankful if their Barak valley MLAs also toed on their views. There should be a limit to political hypocrisy. In this regard, Bhupen Bora, the APCC chief is also not lagging behind, and he in his usual style attacked his bête noire Himanta Biswa Sarma and he did not hesitate to involve his octogenarian mother. In his political fight against the CM, Bhupen Bora stooped low to state that Himanta Biswa Sarma even can change the name of his mother for political gains. What is about you, Mr Bora? You too can change your religion, language as evidenced by your drama of tearing the shirt in the premises of Mangaldoi DC court while protesting against Dholpur eviction. 3 AIUDF MLAs photographs with placards supporting the Asomiya language and Bhupen Bora's shirt tearing drama was the weirdest scenes ever witnessed.

Yes, in today's politics everything is possible.

Drishyaa Chowdhury,

GNB Road, Guwahati.

December 3 is World Disability Day

December 3 is World Disability Day and it is the day of self-introspection for all those who are at the helm of affairs whether they had fulfilled their duty in complying with the provisions of the Disability Act. If there is any unfulfilled clause that is to be complied with? If the answer is yes whether any step was taken in this regard and if no step was taken whether any corrective measures were taken? In this context, I quote a section of disabled whose legal fundamental laws are being infringed for the last twenty-four years even after bringing to the notice of all concerned various courts decisions and pointing them that it is against the natural justice and against the NHRC as well as against the weaker sections of society as disabled are being covered under weaker sections of society and above all against the spirit of the preamble. Due to the insensitive attitude towards the disabled nobody is ready to listen to their grievances even after bringing to the notice of FMO, PMO, Chairman IBA and Chairman of Banks, All trade union leaders, CJI and Law Ministry etc. These disabled bank pensioners are very few and are about 100 only even then they are waiting for justice for the last twenty-three years.

The physical condition of all will be more or less the same and I quote my condition, I had taken premature retirement due to neurological problems and I had not visited the bank not even a single time during the last fifteen years. Talks of upgradation of pension are going on between the trade union leaders and management, and I had sent representations that in case of disabled bank pensioners upgradation should be from retrospective date and not from prospective date as these disabled are being denied their legitimate rights due to the insensitive attitude towards disabled as well as incompetency of concerned officials and their negligence should not be transferred to disabled and the notional benefit of five years who had taken premature retirement due to total incapacitation after completion of 28 years should be given.

Yash Pal Ralhan

(ralhan.yashpal@gmail.com)

Plight of Congress

When BJP was mauled in West Bengal, Congress leaders and supporters were happy and celebrated BJP's defeat and TMC's victory. Though it is altogether a different story that Congress scored duck out of 294 seats in West Bengal. Now, the same Congress leaders are crying when their 'Favourite DIDI' is ignoring the century-year-old Congress in her tryst to become the principal opposition party in the run-up to 2024 general polls. I shall keep on repeating that for Congress to make a comeback they have to get rid of the pseudo-Gandhi family.

Julie Bhuyan,

Gaurisagar.

APSC qualifying papers

The Assam state cabinet has taken the right decision by withdrawing the Assamese and the English papers from the APSC Combined Competitive Exam. Since these two papers were qualifying in nature and there is already a General Studies paper based entirely on Assam which is not found in the UPSC. The new syllabus for the APSC's CCE Exam which was introduced from 2020 was meant to make the syllabus uniform for all candidates including candidates belonging to vernacular and English medium. However, these two papers were a stumbling block in achieving that goal. The state cabinet's decision instead to introduce the three criteria's of permanent residency, employment exchange registration and evaluation of Assamese fluency during the interview stage will ensure that only native candidates from Assam can apply.

A few Candidates

(speedp06@gmail.com)