Letters to THE EDITOR: Mask policy

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Mask policy

In this toughest time 'WEARING MASK' is a common word that is circulated across the world. Every country has made the use of masks compulsory. In the context of India, wearing a mask is mandatory everywhere. According to the WHO, a mask saves people from different types of viruses and small polluted particles that cause diseases. In the context of the world, the terror of the ongoing pandemic is gradually decreasing. But in Assam, the fear of the pandemic is still alive. In Assam, the improper wearing of a mask or remaining unmasked is very common. Already, the government has taken many actions for not adhering to Covid protocols. But due to a lack of awareness among the rural people, especially in tea garden areas, the virus keeps spreading. So I urge the government and the authority concerned to take some strict measures to break the Corona chain.

Aditya Ankur Nath,

Tezpur.

Cycle politics by

Rahul Gandhi

Through your esteemed daily, I would like to inform Rahul Gandhi that simply cycling for one day to reach parliament as a protest against the hike in fuel prices does not necessarily mean that you are fighting for a real issue.

Indian public will be happy to admire you when during this price hike, every day you reach parliament or other official works in bicycle thereby saving the government expenditure and fuel borne by the Indian public. In that case, the Indian public will follow you, otherwise, they will think that you are doing it for a photo session like you stand up in the queue during demonetization.

Suprakash Chakraborty,

Kamakhya Nagar

Adabari Tiniali, Guwahati

BOI striving hard

Kudos to BOI for a net profit of Rs 720 crore in Q1. BOI has shown good growth despite several challenges. There is no doubt that courtesy builds the relationship with a customer to such a strong point that he eventually becomes an advocate for the Bank. BOI is a bank that believes in nation-building, ethics & integrity, value for customers, pride for its employees, profitable growth and contributing to society. Top managements have initiated very good reforms in the bank and are reviving very fast. BOI has been built on very sound principles with a unique culture, enriched by successive generations. BOI is blessed with the dynamic leadership of MD & CEO Atanu Kumar Das and 4 dynamic EDs. The huge force of BOI can walk an extra mile and put in extra efforts by "working more" and "working better" and will come out with decent figures in March 2022. BOI being placed continuously amongst the most trusted branch in the banking industry reveals the trust of its customers in the bank. With the inspiring leadership of top executives, enthusiastic efforts of experienced staff members and an outstanding team of new professionals, BOI is striving hard to achieve its corporate goals and to take the bank to greater heights.

Vinod C Dixit,

Ahmedabad.

'Turning Point'

and reality

In his book "Turning Point" (page 70) Dr APJ Abdul Kalam told Dr Satish Dhawan, who was his boss and Chairman of ISRO, "When you execute the complex mission, you always encounter challenges and problems. Never allow challenges to become your Captain rather you should become the Captain of the problem i.e. you should have the temperament to diffuse any problem with solutions."

In continuation with the same book, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam had a deliberation with all the representatives, especially with some of the present-day MP for India 2020 Vision on 11.3.2003 to 06.03.2003 (page no 30 and 32) where he got valuable suggestions on 10 pillars to see India as a robust country. These are:

1. A nation where the rural and urban divide has been reduced to a thin line (Now we understand why brokers of only Punjab and Haryana are against the poor farmer)

2. A nation where there is equitable distribution and adequate access to energy and quality of water. ( Modi Government introduced Ujjala Yojana scheme for free electricity to poor people and save water for future).

3. A nation where agriculture, industry and the service sector work together in a symphony (We now understand why some crooked elements of every state are working together to deprive their state and their poor people in the name of one thing or other)

4. A nation where education with a value system is not denied to any meritorious candidates because of social or economic discrimination. (That is the reason why the Modi Government introduced NEP and reservations of 10% seats for EWS).

5. A nation that is the best destination for the most talented scholars, scientists and investors. (The Modi government introduced Make in India and Vocal for Local)

6. A nation where the best healthcare is available to all. (Introduced Atal Healthcare scheme and others for poorer section)

7. A nation where the governance is responsive, transparent and corruption-free. (Yes, no corruption till today reported by any media and by introducing Digital India, one can say that it's transparent)

8. A nation where poverty has been eradicated, illiteracy removed and crimes against women and children are absent and none in the society feels alienated. (DBT, Triple Talaq and many such which Indian people will never forget how much during 7 years rule Modi government has done)

9. A nation that is prosperous, healthy, secure, peaceful and happy and follows sustainable growth. (Every Indian will say this in one word that we are safe in honest hands. No bomb blast, no terrorist activity which confined to border area only because of strong government at the Centre. It reminds me of the rule Chandragupta Maurya)

10. A nation that is one of the best places to live in and is proud of its leadership. (Yes, now the world started to give priority to Indian decisions. All Indians will proudly say that "I Love my India".)

Suprakash Chakraborty,

Kamakhya Nagar Adabari Tiniali, Guwahati 12

Complete overhaul

Compared to Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 has been a good journey for the country. Still, we are far from Beijing 2008 performance but in Rio 2016 our performance took a severe nosedive where we salvaged some pride on the final two days by securing two medals, thanks to PV Sindhu (Silver) and Sakshi Malik (Wrestling). Coming to the 2020 games there have been some notable failures in Archery, Shooting and Tennis. The parent body of tennis All India Tennis Association (AITA) made a big mess in selecting the tennis squad where India failed to put up men's and mixed doubles. Already many players are complaining about groups and nepotism in AITA. The Archery squad performed way below the expectations. Before departure to Tokyo, a lot was expected from the squad which had women's world number 1 player Deepika Kumari along with Torundeep Roy, Atanu Das and Prakash Jadhav. When the archery event got underway, we could see numerous chinks in their game. Firstly, the players did not look physically and mentally fit. The star-studded team crumbled like nine pins in crucial moments. The governing body Archery Association of India (AAI) is thoroughly responsible for the pathetic performance. The biggest disappointment came from the shooters who completely misfired. Like the archers, the shooters crumbled under pressure in crunch situations. The management was so poor that Manu Bhaker's pistol failed in the middle of the competition which is unprecedented. The officials of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) are accountable for the poor performance of the squad.

In India still, many parent bodies are under the grip of politicians, wealthy businessmen who are in no way connected to the game. They are just occupying the posts to serve their interests and lobby. AITA, AAI and NRAI are some of the bodies which require an immediate overhaul. The intervention of the government in this regard is needed as sending an underprepared squad to Olympics, Asian Games and CWG at the cost of the nation's exchequer cannot be accepted. Secondly, it shames the nation in front of the world. The corrupt and incompetent officials of such associations and federations have no right to send tourists of their choice at the cost of taxpayers' money.

Dhiman Senchowa,

North Lakhimpur.

Lovlina Borgohain

Lovlina Borgohain, the Golaghat-based boxing prodigy, scripted history by winning a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics and became the first medalist of Assam and second Indian female boxer to win the bronze medal at the Olympics to date. Lovina's determination, diligence, hard labour and strong willpower may surely inspire our young youths to overcome their struggles for achieving success in the field of games and sports. Though Lovlina won the bronze medal at the Olympics she turned into a golden girl for everyone and makes us proud by winning the medal at her very first Olympic participation. Well done Lovlina, go ahead. We expect more medals from you shortly.

Rupak G Duarah,

Rajahnagar, Guwahati-40

LIC should merge

its nearby units

LIC of India has many branches very close to each other. Many such nearby branches exist from the year 1956 when 245 private insurance companies were nationalized in the public-sector Life Insurance Corporation of India. While some areas have multiple branches, residents of many localities are deprived of a branch of LIC of India nearby.

In the present era of computerization and online facility of accessibility of all policy-records from any branch, not much office-space and staff are required in branches of LIC of India. LIC of India should make a study of branch-network throughout the country to start with metro cities, and merge nearby branches into a single branch to reduce undue overheads. It should be ensured that after-sale service of all policies may be availed from any branch of LIC of India

Land-allotting agencies of state governments should provide small pieces of land at important places, where LIC of India may develop its buildings also providing space for post-offices and one branch each of some public-sector banks and General Insurance Companies even on rent. It will be better utilization of LIC funds. Rent going to private parties from government departments will then be the income of the public-sector LIC of India. People will find newly developed premises for these essential services with ultramodern facilities and techniques.

Madhu Agrawal,

DELHI 110006

Imported athletes

Of late the USA and some of the wealthy European nations have started importing athletes from some African countries to represent their nations, especially in track and field events after luring them with a better life. In the ongoing Tokyo Olympics, for example, it is seen that Table Tennis teams of Australia and the USA are mainly composed of imported Chinese players. One must admit that it is only CHINA, today's powerhouse in Olympics does not import athletes from any other nation. China has become the hub of producing medal world-class athletes in any discipline. The total past hegemony of the USA in the Olympics is no more. It is no doubt a good signal for all.

Lanu Dutta Chowdhury,

Guwahati.

A different India

In past India was known for getting butterfly the stomach, and that cost us dearly on many past occasions. In recent years India has snatched victory from the jaws of defeats in many games on numerous occasions. The present generations of Indian sportspersons are loaded with tough mental strength as we have seen in the ongoing Olympics where Ravi Kumar Dahiya and the Men's Hockey team snatched victory from certain defeats. This is just the beginning and the process of mental pruning for the athletes should go on so that India becomes one of the sporting powerhouses in the world. It is also extremely encouraging for us that as a nation we have started feeling confident in our capabilities and abilities under our PM Modi.

Dr Ashim Chowdhury,

Guwahati.

Women victim card

We live in a society where we all talk about equality – equality between boys and girls and equality between men and women. But on the other hand, we also talk about respect for women. No doubt women should get respect. If everyone is equal, then all should get respect. Respecting women is important, but it doesn't mean that women have the right to disrespect men. Everyone has the right to get respect, not only women. Talking about the recent Delhi incident, it's extremely horrible that physical violence happened in the public area in front of the police, media and the public. We cannot be disrespectful to anyone – hitting anyone in public. Had it been the other way around, the man would have never hit the woman. This is because we all should respect women. If men respect women, then women should also respect men.

Priyanka Nath,

Mirza.

Boundary disputes

There have been long time disputes on the boundaries of a few neighbouring states of Assam. The plain areas of Assam are surrounded by hilly areas of those states and it is an open secret that the people of those hilly areas tend to occupy nearby plains for their livelihood. But the recent incident on the Assam-Mizoram border has some other factors also, including drugs-related activities.

The four hill states – Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh – were carved out of Assam between 1963 and 1972. These were first made to federal/union territory and later on converted to full-fledged states of India. It was unfortunate that the border demarcations were not permanently made during that time and for that, we have been witnessing boundary disputes from time to time. However, what was done in the past and what has happened now should not be a matter of debate at present. Now, we have to work united (all political parties and intellectuals) to find out a permanent solution to these problems for the greater interest of our people and the people of neighbouring states. It is also our responsibility to solve all those boundary problems such that our future generations can live in peace and harmony with all the people of NE states. Let us hope so.

Dr P C Sarmah,

Tarajan Jorhat- 1

Grappling silver

Ravi Kumar Dahiya has impressed me, not only with his stunning performance and winning the silver medal for India but also for the calm demeanour he exhibited when he won the medal. No big smiles, no waving at the cameras, no excited "yeah" and "come-ons". A wise man once said, "Be the same person when you win and also when you lose". And the deepest of oceans are always calm. Ravi possesses an ocean of talent, and I see him as the next big thing in the wrestling world. Ravi has also accepted his defeat in the final by saying "Maybe, I was good enough for silver only this time". People often say wrestlers are people without any brain. Ravi is a tight slap on those faces. Best wishes to Ravi and hoping that he grapples gold the next time.

Noopur Baruah,

Tezpur.

The comeback of India's hockey

Through your esteemed daily, I would like to exhibit the glory of hockey played by our players in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The winning of the bronze medal will again bring the popularity of the game. The decline of popularity will now give new dawn to the field of hockey. The popularity of other sports suppressed its field. The victory of the Indian men's team on 5th June in the Tokyo Olympics gave a new turn. Along with men's, the hockey women's team is also playing commendably.

They deserve the praise. This time Indian hockey gave a new turn among the masses of India.

Niharika Krishnatari.

niharikakrishnatri@gmail.com