Letters to the EDITOR: ASOM alliance is defunct

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ASOM alliance is defunct

This letter has a reference to a news item published in your esteemed daily on May 13, titled ‘ASOM slams BJP’, which amused most of your right-thinking readers. We believe the ASOM alliance is a political body existing only on paper, headed by two opportunist nonentities in state politics, namely Ajit Kumar Bhuyan and Lurinjyoti Gogoi, who so far have not won any public mandate. Ajit Bhuyan’s election to the Upper House of the parliament with the support of AIUDF is an open secret. Their recent tirade against BJP for making a clean sweep in the recently concluded Panchayat election will make even a dead man stir in his or her grave. They have not yet realised that in the meantime they, in fact, have become an eyesore to the indigenous Axomiyas whom they claim to represent.

Joel Goyari,

Tangla.

Moral training with education

As we know, the young of today will be the architects of tomorrow. And the best training for them will be the assurance of strength and a happy nation. It's sad that nowadays our educational system is only focused on performance, while the elements of moral training are often neglected. Maturity of character is also necessary along with the knowledge. Inculcating moral values not only teaches the children to distinguish between right and wrong but also urges them to become good and moral humans in practical life. It gives them a sense of responsibility for the community, teaches respect for humanity and teaches them to consider the right. Therefore, I appeal to the government, organisations, educational institutions and parents to give a particular focus for moral inculcation in the educational curriculum so that our new generation becomes good humans and good citizens.

Omar Faruque Mondal

Goalpara, Assam

Assam’s startup economy

The editorial, 'A strong step towards Assam startup goals', published in your esteemed daily on May 15, is really worth reading, as we have come to learn about the government's firm commitment to strengthening the startup ecosystem in the state, which is highly appreciable. The creation of a new dedicated administrative department known as the Department of Innovation, Incubation and Startups (DIIS) is a bold step in this direction to address the issues of funding, mentorship, policy development, regulatory specification and promoting startups. The state's CM's main focus on fostering a culture of innovation among the young minds in the educational institutions under the guidance of experienced teachers is really praiseworthy, as fresh innovative ideas grow in them during this age. All that they need is wings for their startup ideas, as the government's aim is to remove their job-seeking mindset and to help them to become contributors to the state's economy. At a time when there has been a surge in innovative business ideas in other parts of the country, why should Assam lag behind? A lot of innovative ideas have already come up from the youngsters from the hinterland of India and cities like Surat, Jodhpur, Ranchi, Bhopal, etc. These cities have seen a rise in startups, and the new ecosystem has evolved with the emergence of new co-working spaces, incubators and accelerators. Along with the rest of India, the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the North East has also evolved despite enormous challenges. Assam should play a pivotal role in this movement. The setting up of 'Assam Startup – The Nest' in the state's prominent academic/technical institutions will definitely motivate the educated youth to become startups and innovators in different parts of the states. The government's policy to establish formal collaboration with the country's e-commerce companies, including Open Network Digital Commerce for the promotion of industry and internal trade, will yield positive results in economic development in the state. Once Assam overcomes challenges of skilled workers and professionals for the commercial success of startups, the state will become the startup capital of Northeast India, like New Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai. The day is not far off when the ambitious vision of the government will transform Assam into a leading startup hub under the dynamic and visionary leadership of the state CM.

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati.

Securing school children

Sexual harassment of children at schools continues unabated despite security measures put in place by authorities. Approximately every fifteen minutes a child, school-going or otherwise, is molested or raped in the country. The numbers from the schools are particularly hard to come by for obvious reasons. Sometimes students do not come out in the open regarding their molesters or are dissuaded by their parents, who are more worried about the children's "future and honour" than the indelible scars left upon their minds by the sexual abusers. It seems the strengthened Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), 2012, has had little or no impact on the harassers.

 Now, in a fresh order, the Maharashtra government has mandated all schools to install CCTV cameras on their premises with at least one month of backup data. Prompt offence reporting; at least one female staff member in school buses; female teachers up to class sixth as far as possible; staff scrutiny; and compulsory character certificates of staff from the police, if needed, are other important guidelines issued to all schools. Child helpline numbers are to be prominently displayed at schools and provided to parents. It goes without saying that community participation in educating the child about "safe" and "unsafe" touch is the single most important factor that can control the preventable scourge because the child has to be wary of their harassers masquerading as "teachers".

Dr Ganapathi Bhat

(gbhat13@gmail.com)

 Terrorism: A major problem

Terrorism is a major problem not only in India but also across the world. The roots of terrorism are deep and are growing day by day. While we cannot eliminate terrorism completely, we can restrict it to some extent. Terrorists have no religion, nor are they soft-hearted. They don’t even spare children and infants. They aim to instill fear in the hearts of people. Since terrorism is a global problem now, every country should come forward and fight against it.

Why are terrorists throughout the world indulging in such horrible acts where thousands of innocent people are being killed in cold blood for no fault of theirs? These terrorists attack any place, whether it is a school, college, place of worship, mode of transport, theatre or stadium. There is no verse in the Holy Quran where it tells you to kill innocent people. Terrorists feel that if you go on killing people, you will enter heaven even if you have committed the worst sins. How sad that somebody has misguided them. Why are the terrorists taking the curses from these hapless parents whose children have been killed in a terrorist attack and whose lives have been shattered by their cruel deeds?

All terrorists, when caught and proved guilty by the court, should be given capital punishment in full public view. The punishment of the terrorist should also be telecast live on television on all the channels so that other terrorists may learn a lesson from this.

Jubel D'Cruz,

(jubeldcruz@yahoo.com)