LPG price hike affects common households
The price of LPG has increased sharply in recent months. Due to the price rise households have reverted to cooking with wood and charcoal, which can be gathered for free or bought at cheaper rate. Women tend to suffer the most when LPG becomes unattainable, as they are usually responsible for gathering firewood. The rising LPG and food prices have forced families to eat fewer, lower-quality meals. COVID-19 lockdowns at the start of 2020 had already pushed many poorer households around a loss of income as businesses were closed and people were urged to stay home. Burning wood and charcoal for cooking also exposes people to dangerous levels of air pollution. Also it is problem for the environment, as it emits potent greenhouse gases like black carbon.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
KG Vilop, Chorao
Burden on shoulders
Children going back to school is a very pleasant sight. However, what pains us to see that children going to schools again with heavy bags on their young shoulders. We talk about digital India. We talk about progress in new India but what about our children carrying same old books and same old black and white education system? Subjects like mathematics and science where children find it difficult to cope with ultimately dropout. It is high time our education ministers introduce some skill development programs and keep an option for children to choose their own subjects and skills. Let us not make the education stereotype but make education more creative and fun to help our children our youth to achieve a better future.
Anita Fernandes, Verna
Media has to protect democracy
This has reference to the Edit ‘Media has to be sensitive and accountable’ (Herald 10 June 2022). Very rightly stated, the media has to be sensitive and accountable. The media must feel the pulse of the people. Isn’t it known that the media is the fourth pillar of democracy? They have a huge role to play in preserving our democracy. What has happened to the media in recent years? The recent comments made by the ruling party leaders in a TV debate has snowballed into a major controversy, worldwide. Where are we headed? Today we are being bombarded with protests from the entire Gulf region and other nations. Even Afghanistan which is under the Taliban rule, is lecturing India, a democracy! The media has the power to influence people’s opinions, their very lives. They have the power to make or break governments, political parties. Haven’t the media stood up to the government in earlier times, during emergency for instance? What has happened to that same media now? Your editorial truly states, the media has certain obligations to society. The media must be fair, objective, relevant and truthful. Of course, there is need for self-regulation. Finally, as the editorial rightly states, for the sake of our society and future of our children, the media has to get it’s act together and instead of fuelling the fire, they must go all out to douse the fire of hatred, suspicion and division. Today, our democracy is in peril, can the fourth pillar of democracy stand up now and hold our democracy together?
Melville X. D’Souza, Mumbai
Addiction of
online games
In the present days, addiction is biggest issue in our life. Addiction is snatching everything. Take the case of one boy in Lucknow who murdered his mother because his mother stopped him from playing video games. He took Rs 36 lakh from his mother’s bank account to pursue his addiction of video games. Now you imagine how serious a problem the addiction of online gaming has become. The children of our country are committing thefts in their own homes, withdrawing money from their parents’ bank account and also committing crimes like murder and kidnapping. The central government had banned the PUBG game in India but now a South Korean company has launched this game in India with a changed name, BGMI. Children are badly caught by the addiction of online gaming. In a survey conducted in the year 2020, 65 per cent of children under the age of 20 believed that they are even ready to give up food and sleep to play online games. I am of the view that government must think of banning all online video games as it is bad for our country.
Sanskrati Rathore, Panjim
On “Purumentachem feast” at Margao
“Purumentachem” feast is the famous traditional feast of Margao. The said feast is celebrated every year during end of May or first week of June .The traditional feast had an objective and logic behind this feast. This feast was celebrated near Holy Spirit Church with mass and with stalls selling provisions that were required for household during rainy season. There were stalls of dry chillies, tamarind, onions and other provisions which were stored by people during this feast. The road leading from Kadamba Bus Stand to Holy Spirit Church near Old Presentation High School was fully utilised for feast during this time for all and was for 8 days. Earlier the feast were held in and around the Church road but today due to heavy traffic, it has shifted place.
During the feast the provisions included furnitures, easy chairs, stools, wooden and also clay pots for saving coins. But today since all the items are available throughout the year, the importance of feast has lost its objective. This year too there was chaos in allotment of stalls as municipality charged double the rates prevailed years ago and some of them were asked to remove the stalls after erection of stalls with bamboos and other materials which were paid by the stall owners. There was also a High Court order which mentioned with regards to number of stall on footpaths which again irked stall owners who had paid to municipality advance amount. There is no coordination between MMC and SPDA which leads to chaos. The present feast has lost its charm which was there earlier during 1980’s. Today the only objective is to make quick money and show ones muscle power and political influence. The organisers should not have contract system in allotment of stalls but give them identity card before hand of the feast. There should be some system in the stall allotments and upkeep the spirit of feast alive.
Raju Ramamurthy, Vasco
Yay or Nay?
Thailand has legalized the use of marijuana and it’s consumption in food and drinks and it is the first Asian country to do so with the aim of boosting agriculture and tourism. Shoppers queued up at outlets selling cannabis infused drinks, sweets and snacks as advocates of the plant welcomed the reform in a country that has long had a reputation for strict anti drug laws. In fact it has been planned to distribute one million marijuana seedlings to agriculturists. It is a point to be noted that smoking pot outside of the house could still get you arrested, an important check to prevent unfettered use. Recreational use of cannabis is legal in countries like Canada, Georgia, Malta, Mexico, South Africa, Uruguay and 19 states in the US. In India too, cannabis derivatives have been used since time immemorial in traditional medicine to relieve pain and fatigue. ‘Bhaang’ is even available at government authorized outlets in some states. There is a case for restricted legal use of marijuana subject to certain conditions in India too decriminalising cannabis would possibly be the first step. Maybe the government could have an alternate revenue stream by way of taxes on products with marijuana content. Clubbing of weed with hard drugs like cocaine, heroine, crystal meth is illogical. No one is advocating unchecked use of marijuana here but there are some benefits to be derived from limited use for medicinal and flavoring purposes. Think.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
