Wear masks in hospitals
Goa’s Health Minister reportedly said on Monday that though the State is witnessing an average number of daily Covid cases, there is no need for unnecessary panic. Covid management preparedness was held at the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC), Bambolim as part of the nationwide drill conducted to review the emergency preparedness of both, public and private hospitals amid a spike in the Covid cases. It is pertinent to note that amid a spurt in Covid cases, the use of face masks has been made mandatory for employees, patients, and visitors in all civic-run hospitals in Mumbai. The authorities have appealed to citizens above 60 years to wear face masks in crowded places as a precautionary measure though it is not made mandatory. It must be said that hospitals can be hot-spots for the spread of the Coronavirus as patients with illnesses come here for treatment. Many could have a reduced immunity. Some could be suffering from COVID-19 and the virus could spread among hospital visitors. Hospital employees who handle patients could be vulnerable to the infection. Hence it would be prudent to make it mandatory for the staff, patients and visitors of the various private and government hospitals including primary health centres in Goa to wear face masks within the hospital premises.
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Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Maturity on display in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has had a difference of opinion with the Centre on many issues. Tamil Nadu government’s feud with Governor R N Ravi is part of the folklore. The Chief Minister has been a supporter of the opposition bid for a common united front to fight the BJP in the next year’s general elections. But Stalin is aware that the State is in an economic crunch and owes huge Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) debt, and the State needs funds from the Centre to ward off the crisis. Youth across the State are a frustrated lot as employment opportunities are not forthcoming. Tamil Nadu is in dire need of big investments. All this and more are possible only with the cooperation of the Centre. There is no point in opposing the Prime Minister of the country to the extent of refusing to welcome him at the airport and not sharing dais with him in any official function.
So it was good to see Stalin, unlike some other chief ministers, giving such an unhealthy trend and amateurish behaviour a go-by when Narendra Modi visited Chennai. The Chief Minister welcomed Modi at the airport and was with him at three of the four functions. The Chief Minister has revealed his respect towards a healthy democratic setup. He knows ideologies may differ but approaches need not. He may also know that Modi had a warm personal equation with his father M Karunanidhi. In a country based on federal structure and function, a good professional relationship between the Prime Minister and a State Chief Minister can work wonders for the overall development of a region. It’s an added bonus if that transcends to personal bonhomie.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola
Distorting history is not right
This refers to the editorial “Manipulating history is a dangerous practice” (April 10), the decision of the NCERT to delete chapters on the Mughals and Mahatma Gandhi is bound to create confusion leading to a lack of understanding about our rich Indian history. The sweeping changes in social science have resulted in deletions of references to such critical historical elements as the Mughal rule, the caste system, and the ban on the RSS after the assassination of the Father of Nation, the communal fire in Gujarat in 2002, etc.
While the NCERT has denied removal of chapters on Mughal era, it has stated that the changes were made in the name of rationalisation of study material. Rationalisation should not mean changing history in accordance with the political ideology of the ruling party as it can be considered as modification and distortion of past historical fact. While the Centre and BJP have defended the rationalisation, the Opposition has termed it as a ploy to ‘erase history’.
Contents of syllabi need to be periodically updated on the basis of new research and to correct biases and prejudices. But the changes made by NCERT clearly make history slave to politics and are meant to ideologically brainwash students. The NCERT should give a second thought to this misleading move and allow students to read undistorted history.
Gregory Fernandes, Marcel
Good news for wildlife enthusiasts
Wildlife enthusiasts and tiger lovers should be delighted that India’s tiger population has increased by 200 in the past four years. Since 2006, the big cats population has increased significantly, reaching over 3,000. Tiger populations have grown in the Shivalik hills and Gangetic floodplains but decreased in the Western Ghats, home to the most tigers. As a result, India has become a leading advocate for the safety of wild tigers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made public the tiger population data from Mysuru on Sunday.
N J Ravi Chander, Bengaluru
