Letters to the Editor: Discrepancies in CCE Prelims answer key

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Discrepancies in CCE Prelims answer key

The Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) recently conducted the Combined Competitive Examination (CCE) Prelims and subsequently released the official answer key. However, several discrepancies have been identified in the published answers, which are causing concern among aspirants. For instance, the question related to the Kasturirangan Committee has the correct answer as option (C), but the official key incorrectly lists it as option (B). Similarly, in the question concerning nanomaterials, the accurate answer is clearly option (A), based on established scientific facts, yet the key mentions option (D). Another error is found in the question on the Greater Adjutant Stork, where the correct response is option (D), although the key incorrectly marks option (B).

Such inaccuracies can significantly impact the evaluation process and the future of deserving candidates. I sincerely urge the APSC to review and rectify these errors at the earliest, ensuring transparency and fairness in the selection process

A group of candidates Come September

With the installation of Gaurav  Gogoi as the President of APCC, the war of words between Gaurav Gogoi and CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has reached its crescendo, keeping the common people of the state on tenterhooks. For the final outcome, both Gogoi and Sarma will have to wait till September 10, 2025.

So, until then, let us hope to watch another musical hit of the sixties, named Come September, starring Rock Hudson and Gina Lollobrigida, whose music is still ringing in our ears.

Dr. Ashim Chowdhury, Guwahati.

Combating the blazing summer

Assam and other parts of the northeastern region are gripped by scorching heat now. The temperature is soaring much higher than normal in parts of Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh also. It is indeed a disquieting situation that should act as a wake-up call for us all that the state of health of the natural environment and ecosystem is far from satisfactory. Though the region is well-known the world over as a predominantly rain-fed, fertile region with agriculture having long been its mainstay with the presence of wetlands and umpteen numbers of rivers in all the states, most of the parts, rather than experiencing heavy rainfall, are reeling under abnormal heat waves. Guwahati, the only principal metropolis in the NE, is experiencing a severe heat condition, making it an urban heat island. We celebrate World Environment Day with ardent zeal and merriment every year, and this year was no exception. But instead of observing the day in the conventional way, we ought to consider seriously how we can curb the pace of degradation of the environment.

The environmental problem has at present assumed alarming proportions in the state capital due to rapid and often unregulated urban expansion, the felling of trees for the widening of roads, the construction of flyovers, etc. Inarguably development activities are undertaken, considering the well-being of common people, but the well-being of the environment is totally ignored. It is true that we cannot do away with the changes taking place in the atmosphere. Nor can we make over the changes already installed. Here comes the need to act wiser. Researchers reveal that falling back on nature, like creating and preserving water bodies, afforestation and preserving large areas of forests within cities, can prove to be an effective solution. Trees can provide not only respite from the heat by shading buildings and streets but, more importantly, increase cooling and reduce air temperature through transpiration. On a normal sunny day, a single tree can transpire several hundred litres of water, which is equivalent to the cooling effect of two domestic air conditioners running for 24 hours.

Using public transport instead of private cars whenever possible, going online for official meetings and shopping, eating locally produced and seasoned food to avoid cold storage systems, working from home if possible and travelling less are some of the petty actions which will make a significant difference if followed in concert to combat the soaring temperature and the scorching heat in summer.

Iqbal Saikia, Guwahati.

Current Covid cases

Some states have reported a rise in Covid-19 cases. But the symptoms have, generally, been less severe than the earlier Covid pandemic. The present surge is attributed to the subtypes of the Omicron variant. It is reasoned that Covid-19 may now become a seasonal viral infection. Among the current patients, the intensity of symptoms is less in the previously vaccinated. And the symptoms in others are more or less the same as in the earlier Omicron-driven Covid-19. Many lives were lost due to the Covid pandemic that shook the world. Now, the Omicron subtype of Covid-19 appears less dangerous. 

Comorbidities have been blamed for the sporadic deaths that have been reported. But people should not take things easy and follow minimum safety and hygiene protocols, at least in packed places, indoors or outdoors, and public transport.  Sporting masks and regular handwashing should be prioritised. There are questions about the need for vaccination, and experts opine that booster doses may become a rule in the future. For those who have received two doses of vaccination during the pandemic, a booster dose may be advised, but there are no protocols regarding this yet.

Dr Ganapathi Bhat

(gbhat13@gmail.com)

Discrimination in Chirang PHE

This is to bring to the notice of everyone concerned that several reports have surfaced alleging that a non-Bodo engineer working as a Technical Officer-I at the Office of the Executive Engineer (PHE), Kokrajhar Div. No. II, Chirang, has been seriously discriminated against at his workplace.

It is claimed that higher authorities within the department have neglected the matter, fostering a divisive atmosphere between Bodos and non-Bodos in the BTR. This alleged inaction is deeply concerning as it threatens the communal harmony of the region. It is imperative that the concerned authorities ensure justice is served swiftly to the victim, thereby reinforcing the principles of equality and fairness in the workplace and the wider community.

General Secretary Abodo Adhikar Raksha Samiti

Murder most foul

The honeymoon of Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife Sonam on May 23, which turned into a murder trip coupled with an extramarital affair, has sent shockwaves across the entire nation. Sonam and her boyfriend, Raj Kushwaha, with whom she was madly in love, should be given capital punishment, and her entire family should be punished because they allegedly knew of her plans.

This murder case is a plot twister straight out of the scenes of Crime Patrol. The murder mystery that had gripped Meghalaya and other parts of India as well has at last come to an end. Sonam Raghuvanshi, the bride, was found to be the conspirator of the tragic death of Raja Raghuvanshi, whose body was found in a deep gorge in Sohra.   

Meghalaya Police had to spend considerable time and resources to track down Sonam until they finally found her in Uttar Pradesh. The police were also able to nab the other assailants that Sonam had hired to eliminate her husband Raja. Meghalaya Police deserve congratulations for cracking the case that had shocked the state and the nation as well. Sohra also escaped the disgrace of being called “crime-prone”.

Jubel D'Cruz,

(jubeldcruz@yahoo.com)