Letters to the EDITOR: APSC needs to ensure a level playing field

APSC needs to ensure a level playing field

Through the columns of your esteemed daily, we would like to bring to the attention of the Hon'ble Chief Minister, Assam, and the Hon'ble Chairman, APSC, that the optional subjects in CCE (Mains) were abolished last year by the Hon'ble Chief Minister to ensure level playing field for the aspirants because earlier it was seen in CCE (Mains) that some candidates secured as high as 244 out of 250 marks in a certain optional subject paper. As a result, such candidates used to gain an upper hand to crack the exam. On the other hand, due to average and low scores in other optional subjects, some deserving candidates could not make it to the final list. As such, it can be inferred that optional subjects hampered the level-playing field for the aspirants, which was against the ethics of merit-based competition. Therefore, in a welcome move, the government abolished the optional subjects to ensure a level-playing field for the aspirants.

However, in the recently declared result of the CCE 2022 exam, it is seen that a candidate has scored 245 out of 250 in the essay paper. It has not only destroyed the idea of 'level-playing field' but also caused utter dismay for the aspirants. The concerned authorities need to take adequate measures to ensure a level playing field for all aspirants. A set of guidelines by which examiners allot marks needs to be framed to ensure transparency and fairness. Indeed, the fairness of competition depends on the criteria that not only each player has an equal chance to succeed but that they all play by the same set of rules.

Some aspirants,

Guwahati

Voters are taken

for granted!

Only men of character and integrity can help provide their services to nation building. Legislators, or MLAs, are law-makers. In essence, the role and responsibilities of an MLA involve serving as a bridge between the government and the people, ensuring effective governance, and advocating for the well-being of their constituencies and the state as a whole. It is a position of public trust that requires dedication, integrity, and a strong commitment to public service.

MLAs/MPs are elected directly by the people of their respective constituencies. As such, they are directly accountable to them. However, they fail to realize that voters are their guardians. After getting elected, things get reversed. MLAs and MPs become the masters of the voters. They do whatever they want, disregarding all social norms. The trend to shift sides by any MLA or MP overnight has become an accepted norm in the politics of the day. We know for sure that different parties have different ideologies. It's difficult to understand how a politician from one party can transition to another overnight. Ideology is not water that takes the shape of the vessel where it is put. Ideology refers to a system of beliefs, values, ideas, and principles that guide and shape a society’s politics, economics, and other aspects of life.

It is unethical for any legislator to jump the fence at his own sweet will, without the consent of the voters, or without resigning from the membership of the party in the first place. It is not evident how he or she expects that voters will shift sides with him or her. They consider the voters to be use and throw items and nothing more than that. In fact, we don’t expect anything worthwhile from self-serving politicians of any hue whatsoever. This is how our legislators are taking the voters for granted and doing whatever they want to do. We must ensure that only men and women of principle, integrity, and commitment are allowed to serve people and the nation.

Prafulla Dowarah,

Guwahati

US-India

ties on a roll

West Asia, Ukraine, and the Indo-Pacific are areas of grave concern for the United States and India. China's aggressive posturing in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean has propelled friendly nations, which include the two, to join hands to thwart its designs. By the same token, bilateral ties between Washington and New Delhi are on the upswing, notwithstanding minor distractions like the case of an Indian "agent" accused of hatching a conspiracy to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the US. However, Washington intends to supply New Delhi with 31 MQ-9B predator drones, marking a step forward in Indo-US relations. Maritime cooperation between Washington and New Delhi is on a roll.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's recent meeting with his US counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on the sidelines of the Munich security conference was aimed at reassuring India's commitment to all areas of bilateral concern and mutual benefit. It was Blinken who declared the US' support for India in areas like defence cooperation, Afghanistan, and health security when the two met a couple of years ago, soon after he took over as secretary of state, besides his country's unflinching support for India in the Indo-Pacific theatre. In Munich, Blinken described the bilateral relationship as among the most consequential of any relations in the world for the US.

Dr Ganapathi Bhat

(gbhat13@gmail.com)