Letters to The Editor: A massive U-turn

Our neighbour and an ally of India, Afghanistan, a landlocked nation, has become a bloody battleground between the Taliban (today's Vikings) and Afghan security forces after the withdrawal of the US army from the said nation. The ongoing war between these two forces has resulted in massive civilian causalities apart from gross human rights violations almost unprecedented in modern history. The minorities who are microscopic in numbers namely HINDUS, SIKHS, CHRISTIANS and others, are facing untold brutalities from the Taliban which has rocked the entire world except for the Khalistanis. A very senior Congress leader in the meantime has written a letter to our Foreign Minister requesting him to evacuate all the minorities mentioned above immediately from Afghanistan and settle them in India after granting them citizenship. Interestingly, the very same Congress party was sometime back was very vocal against the CAA, an Act which was meant to give citizenship to the prosecuted minorities in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh. It should serve a clear message to the likes of AASU, Akhil Gogoi, Ajit Bhuyan, Dr Hiren Gohain, APCC, AJYCP and others to read the writings on the wall, else time will not forgive them or else they would be treated as Judas.

Dr Ashim Chowdhury,

Guwahati

CBI probe

Dhing MLA Aminul Islam has levelled serious charges against Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi for demanding Rs 10 crore before the Assembly election when Akhil Gogoi was in a GMCH cabin, instead of Guwahati Central Jail. One who is following Assam politics and KMSS leader should know his modus operandi very well. He is the person who has made 'Sanda Collection' a profession in Assam. His first step is to identify the target and create a hue and cry throughout the state. Later on, he starts negotiating with the target and if the negotiation is successful the very next day he looks out for the next target. Now, thousands are following him by resorting to the illegal profession. He also masters the art of blackmailing, dharnas and andolans and when his demands are fulfilled by his target, he immediately withdraws from andolan. The charges levelled by AIUDF MLA deserves the CBI probe because both are members of the august House.

Before parting, Akhil Gogoi has a good sense of humour. Recently entire Assam saw how he certified himself as 'sot manuh' (honest and clean person) before the camera. That particular clip made my day laugh out loud.

Purabi Miri,

Jakhalabandha.

APSC CCE 2020

question papers

Through your esteemed daily, I want to request the new honourable chairman of APSC to take utmost care to make the upcoming APSC CCE 2020 question paper as per UPSC standard with an error-free answer key. Due to mass faulty answer keys in CCE 2018, there are still dozens of litigation in GHC still pending in Ghy High Court. Though APSC has blacklisted the question paper setters, it is high time APSC did cleaning up act and conducted the whole CCE 2020 examination cycle in a neat and transparent time-bound manner.

APSC took the correct step APSC by updating the syllabus by UPSC CSE syllabus, with a major focus on the Assam section in all the phases of the examination. This will enable the candidates to prepare simultaneously for both the coveted examinations and thus will only add to more civil servants from Assam at the centre and in the state.

Now the second step is to make the question with zero wrong answer keys and avoid disputed statements in questions. Also strictly sticking to the new syllabus and uploaded sample papers is needed to bring back the lost glory of the APSC CCE examination and acknowledge the zeal of thousands of aspirants.

So I request the honourable chairman and Principal Controller of Examinations of APSC to give utmost importance in setting the question paper like UPSC does and upload the answer keys before publishing the result.

Robin Bora & a group of aspirants,

Guwahati

(borarobin20@gmail.com)

Kudos Kaziranga

In a bid to outshine the poachers the Kaziranga National Park has activated ten satellite phones in six ranges of the park. This may be the first time any forest department has thought of installing satellite phones in India. The network in forested areas is always poor due to which the forest officials couldn't disseminate information in time. Assam has also seen a rise in its tiger population with Manas National Park bagging the TX2 conservation excellence award along with Royal Manas National Park of Bhutan. Kaziranga National Park has also seen a considerable increase in the number of big cats from 83 in 2014 to 121 according to a recent census. With this satellite phone feature now we can only hope this number going north very soon not only for the big cats but also for other animals including the pride of Assam, one-horned rhinoceros. We often hear that to defeat your enemy you have to think on their lines and Kaziranga National Park has done that like clockwork. I want to thank the authorities for such a forward-thinking initiative.

Noopur Baruah,

Tezpur

Worth reading

Ex-foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale's book titled 'The Long Game is a book worth reading. The book has elaborately described how China used its long handles and close connections with Left parties of India to build domestic opposition to Indo-US nuclear deal 2007-2008. China used Left-leaning media organizations to set a narrative against the nuclear deal. Kudos to Ex-PM Manmohan Singh who sustained a barrage of attacks from the Left parties who were in coalition with Congress at that period to sabotage the deal. That was a rare occasion when Congress rose to the occasion and thwarted the attempt of known betrayers, the Left parties. The role of the Communist Party of India (CPI) during the 1962 Chinese aggression is known to all. The leaders of CPI told their cadres not to donate blood for Indian soldiers. In Assam, Dr Hiren Gohain's role during the war was pro-China.

Sadly, the Congress which claims to have liberated India from Britishers has always aligned with the Leftist party like CPI on numerous occasions and have always praised their system of governance from time to time. Even during the last Bidhan Sabha elections in Assam Congress aligned with the Leftist party and AIUDF to form Mahajoth. One can believe AIUDF for a second but to believe Leftists for a second will be the gravest mistake the nation can afford.

Julie Bhuyan,

Gaurisagar.

Entrance exams

Due to the current unstable situation, the Education Minister of Assam had decided on HSLC and HS results methods. The marks were given based on their previous academic performances, which can be again argued to be unjustified. So, a compulsory step should be taken by all the colleges regarding their admission process. A standard entrance examination should be organised by every college for the Higher Secondary and Graduation candidates. In this way, the students will not bother to unlearn their lessons and that will help them in strengthening their knowledge. So through the columns of your esteemed daily, I would like to draw the kind attention of the Education Department as well as other authorities concerned. Thank you.

Aranyani Borah,

Cotton University, Guwahati.

Garo Department in Gauhati University

Through your esteemed column, I want to highlight some issues which deserve the utmost attention. First and foremost, I want to express my gratitude to our Chief Minister Himata Biswa Sarma for his genuine concern and sincere dedication to uplift the social and economic conditions of the Garo people in Assam. Our respected Chief Minister's announcement that the government will launch a major recruitment drive in the Education department which will including appointments in the Bodo, Garo and Hindi mediums is highly appreciated. The fact that Sir, there are many Garo-inhabited villages where students do not have access to their mother tongue as a Third or Fourth language in Schools or Colleges. Again the Garo population in Assam is sizeable and they are spread across the state's districts. As a result, we believe that under the current leadership the Department of Garo should be established in prestigious Gauhati University as it will undoubtedly meet the needs of the Garo students who wish to pursue their higher studies from Graduation to Doctorate level in Garo language. Again it will create job opportunities for the qualified Garo youths in the mentioned department as teachers to help build and serve the university and take it to greater heights. The establishment of a Garo Department at Gauhati University would be a dream come true because we too deserve to promote and protect our language which will be possible once the department is operational and for which the Garo community would be ever thankful to you.

Therefore, as a student, I would like to emphasize this point because we believe that the humble government led by your capable and dynamic leadership will always strive for the development of all the communities while adhering to the mantra that our Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi has established which is 'Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas'.

Sengat M. Agitchak,

Rangjuli-783134

Mental wellbeing and children

Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown have brought a sense of fear and anxiety around the globe. This has been difficult for all of us as we hear the spread of COVID-19 at rocketing speed, making us anxious and panic. This pandemic has a major impact on children and adolescents and their emotional and social development. Severe psychological conditions of increased irritability, inattention and clinging behaviour were revealed by all children and felt uncertain and experienced disturbed sleep, poor appetite and agitation. The nationwide closure of schools and colleges has negatively impacted the students. Home confinement has led to anxiety and disruption in their education, physical activities and opportunities for socialization. Due to the shift of routine and absence of structured setting of school, boredom, lack of innovative ideas for engaging in various academics and dependency on parents can be seen among students.

To improve mental health parents should interact continuously with children and involve them in various home activities and creative activities. Children should be encouraged to socialize with their friends and classmates through digital forums under adult supervision.

Murchana Baruah

Cotton University, Guwahati

Cryptocurrencies

Society's working habits, communication styles, shopping habits, and even how they pay for items have all altered as a result of technological advancements. Cryptocurrencies are the future of the 21st generation.

Cryptocurrency payments are digital additions to an online database that specify specific transactions, rather than physical money that is carried around and exchanged in the real world. Blockchain technology is commonly used to create cryptocurrencies. The method transactions are recorded in "blocks" and time-stamped is described by blockchain. It's a lengthy, complicated procedure, but the result is a secure digital ledger of cryptocurrency transactions that hackers can't alter.

One of the emerging Cryptocurrencies is Bitcoin which was first introduced back in 2009.

Bitcoin is a decentralized currency that uses peer-to-peer technology, allowing the network to perform all operations such as money issuance, transaction processing, and verification collectively. While decentralization protects Bitcoin against government manipulation and meddling, it also means that there is no central authority to ensure that things function smoothly or to guarantee the value of a Bitcoin.

These qualities distinguish Bitcoin from fiat currencies, which are backed by the government's full faith and credit. The issuance of fiat currency is a highly centralized process overseen by a country's central bank. While the bank restricts the amount of currency printed to meet its monetary policy objectives, there is no theoretical limit to the amount of money issued. Furthermore, local currency deposits are usually protected by the government against bank collapses. Bitcoin, on the other hand, lacks such infrastructure. A Bitcoin's worth is entirely determined by what investors are prepared to pay for it at any one time.

Some of the current restrictions of cryptocurrencies, such as the fact that a computer crash might wipe out one's digital fortune or that a virtual vault can be ransacked by a hacker, may be overcome in the future through technological advancements. What will be more difficult to overcome is the underlying paradox that bedevils cryptocurrencies: the more popular they become, the more regulation and government scrutiny they will face, eroding the fundamental premise for their creation. Although the number of shops accepting cryptocurrency has continuously expanded, they remain in the minority. For cryptocurrencies to become more extensively used, they must first earn consumer approval.

The development of Bitcoin has spurred a discussion regarding its and other cryptocurrencies' futures. Despite recent challenges, Bitcoin's success since its introduction in 2009 has sparked the development of rival cryptocurrencies such as Etherium, Litecoin, and Ripple. A cryptocurrency that aims to join the mainstream financial system would have to meet a variety of requirements. While that likelihood is remote, it is undeniable that Bitcoin's success or failure in coping with the challenges it faces will have a significant impact on the fortunes of other cryptocurrencies in the years ahead.

Kirtan P Deka,

Cotton University,

Guwahati

Hard to digest

The tyrant West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been invited to the 'World Meeting for Peace' in Rome along with Pope Francis, Great Imam of Al-Azhar (Egypt) Ahmad al-Tayyib, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew 1 and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The Rome based community has invited as many as 500 religious and political personalities from across the world for a two-day conference on 'world peace'. The event is organized by Rome based Sant' Egidio to be held on 6th and 7th October this year. Candidly speaking, on what ground Mamata Banerjee is offered an invitation is still a mystery. Miss Banerjee's hands are smeared with genocide after she got elected to Chief Minister's chair in May this year. Peace and Mamata Banerjee doesn't go hand in hand. Under her command, her party workers ran havoc over supporters of her rival parties. Hindu people were murdered and those fortunate ones ran away from their homes and took refuge in Assam. Many Hindu families' shops and homes were looted. Many women lost their modesty at the hand of her supporters who primarily consisted of people of Bangladeshi origin.

If a person like Mamata Banerjee is invited for peace conference who know by tomorrow some organization may invite people like Masood Azhar, MawlawiHibatullah Akhundzada (Chief of Taliban), Robert Mugabe, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (ISIS Chief) for giving a lecture on peace, tranquillity, universal brotherhood, human rights, etc.

Pratap Dutta,

Tezpur

Awareness on Coronavirus

Needless to say how much harmful and dangerous Coronavirus is. But still, shockingly many people take it for granted. They neither wear masks nor do they maintain social distancing properly. This leads to a very risky situation of being attacked by COVID-19 not just for them but also for the people near them. These people wouldn't have violated the protocol if extremely strict action was taken for violating any rule. People who don't wear masks while going out should be fined heavily. People who don't maintain social distancing should be given a strict warning by the police. I am sure such steps can make our environment safer. And instead of this global pandemic, we can do our daily work by worrying less about the coronavirus.

Papari Nath,

Guwahati