Letters to the Editor: Development is nowhere to be seen

I would like to draw the attention of the authorities concerned to the moribund condition of the rural road belonging to the village of Hindumaizali under Titkuchi Gaon Panchayat under the constituency of Kamalpur, which has suffered a lot recently. However, the local MLAs don’t care. The government has been in power for three years, but the villagers haven’t seen the faces of MLA Diganta Kalita. During the rainy season, the entire village suffers indescribably. The village is plagued by various problems. There are many villagers who don’t have adequate facilities. There is a lot of dirt all around the streets!

It is worth mentioning that on the eve of the election, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sharma promised the people of Kamalpur that if you elect Diganta Kalita with your precious vote, I will take responsibility for the development of Kamalpur constituency. But what did the common people of Kamalpur constituency see in reality today?

Heramba Nath,

Hindumaizali, Kamrup.

Examinations in

regional languages

The University Grant Commission has given good advice to all universities across the country to allow students to write examinations in their local or regional languages. The UGC says that though the course is offered in English, students should be given the option to write answers in their native languages during examinations. No doubt, such types of initiatives (if taken by the universities) may help the students achieve better cognitive achievement and overall personality development. Moreover, the teaching-learning process in local languages may surely benefit students, especially those from socially and economically disadvantaged groups. The initiative will also strengthen efforts to achieve the envisaged goal of increasing the gross enrollment ratio in higher education in the country.

RupakG.Duarah,

Rajahnagar, Guwahati-40.

Disseminate information

about heat waves

It’s summer, which means heatwaves are unavoidable. According to studies, India is particularly vulnerable to heatwaves as they become more common and severe as a result of climate change. Until now, at least 15 people have died from heatstroke in Karnataka. The world is becoming warmer as time passes, and India is becoming even warmer earlier in the year. The weather in India may have eased slightly in terms of temperature highs, but the pattern of the last few years suggests there is no room for complacency. This summer, India’s climate vulnerability is very high, and people must be made aware of the heat index, a more precise measure of human body discomfort in terms of temperature and humidity. Employers must take into account how much outdoor work employees can handle in the summer, and they must implement smarter methods of managing people while assisting them in dealing with the climate crisis. India cannot afford to be complacent about extreme weather-related mortality, which claims lives every year while also undermining social development goals and affecting the GDP, as approximately crores of people are said to experience heat-related stress, despite the fact that 90% of India is said to be in the extremely cautious range of heatwave impacts as measured by the heat index. While governments can help educate people about the risks, people must learn to take far more precautions than they do now.

Vijaykumar H K,

(hkvkmech1@gmail.com.)

Cabinet rejig

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has, unlike in his first term, rejigged his cabinet only once—in July 2021. Generally, expansion of the cabinet is done before crucial elections; there are a few ahead. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh go to polls later this year, and then there are the big general elections in 2024. It is assumed that picking the right men and women from the poll-going states to head key ministries may send a message or two to the electorate before an election, apart from the fact that regional and caste equations come to the fore to impress the voters. Modi may not buck this trend, although he is known to offer some “surprises” in the cabinet reshuffle. The exit of Ravishankar Prasad and Prakash Javadekar in the last cabinet rejig was unexpected, at least for a citizen.

So was the inclusion of men like Ashwini Vaishnaw. So, it is plain simple for a common man: who will find an entry into the cabinet and who will be shown the exit door? Just before a major election, some top leaders are drafted to work for the party, and the PM may not deviate from this trend as well. Speculations abound over those in the 65–70 age bracket; it is said they may be asked to go. But there definitely is no clear policy regarding the much hyped age policy in the government. As far as the poorly performing ministers are concerned, only the PM should know what “good performance” is and who is what. Heavyweights, notwithstanding their showing, may not be touched. Therefore, the reshuffle looks like a routine one without much to expect.

Dr Ganapathi Bhat,

(gbhat13@gmail.com.)