FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2024
Respect the National Flag
Har Ghar Tiranga was a successful drive. People were lightened up in patriotic tunes. Government also made lot of revenue in selling flags. Flags still continue to fly high although Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav was for three days i.e. from August 13 to 15.
One can still see flags on electricity poles, trees, houses, shops, vehicles, etc. Govt. of Goa or CM should inform people to remove all flags across Goa.
Respect the Tiranga.
Franky Viegas, by email
Price rise of milk ill-timed?
It is learnt that The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) which markets its dairy products under the Amul brand, on Tuesday increased the price of three brands of Amul milk by Rs 2 per litre. The increase in price appears to be ill-timed as we enter the festive season of Ganesh Chaturthi.
It may be recalled Goa Dairy Milk has recently hiked prices of various brands of milk. Milk happens to be a staple diet for all sections of society irrespective of the economic class they belong to. It is the staple food of the rich, the poor and the middle-income groups but especially of those who are vegetarians. Increase in the price of milk will have a negative impact on poor families, especially with regards to the nutritional requirements of children, elderly citizens, expectant and lactating mothers.
Milk is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, particularly calcium. It has an important role in bone health. Nutritionists recommend that people have milk and other dairy products, such as yoghurt and cheese, every day as part of a balanced diet. It is true that the farmers need to get a fair price for the milk that is produced in their dairy milk farms, especially the marginal and small farmers.
The government needs to help the farmers bear the cost of milk production so that the extra cost is not passed on to the consumer.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Chinese ship in Lanka,cause for concern
Electronic snooping by Chinese space tracking vessel Yuan Wang 5 which docked at Hambantota port in Sri Lanka is a huge headache for India's security. The ship's arrival in the neighbouring country's waters will act as a precursor for Chinese warships to regularly use the island nation as an operational turnaround facility. China, which already has the world's largest Navy with 355 warships and submarines, has been actively hunting for logistical bases in the Indian Ocean Region after establishing its first overseas base at Djibouti on the Horn of Africa in 2017. Given Sri Lanka's proximity to Indian shores and our current icy ties with China, the docking of this mammoth vessel bristling with long range radars, sensors and satellite tracking technology is a cause for major concern.
The recent Chinese intrusions into Taiwan's water and skies is a clear indication that their expansionist policies are acquiring a much bigger dimension. Sri Lanka finds itself under a mountain of debt due to unprincipled Chinese loans that were used to finance white elephant projects, the Hambantota port being one of them which is incidentally leased out for 99 years.
Chinese aggressive maritime diplomacy and naval expeditions are anything but innocuous, making it all the more difficult for India to counter the dragon's juggernaut. Clearly India's $ 4 billion emergency aid and the gift of a Dornier-228 aircraft for maritime surveillance to Colombo has not counted for much. Given India's constraints, taking on China in the IOR will require it to work closely with Quad and other military blocks.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
Attack on Rushdie is horrifying
The vicious stabbing of the Indian-origin British author Salman Rushdie is horrifying. It is an unpardonable blow on freedom of expression too. Rushdie has faced several death threats since his novel The Satanic Verses was published in 1988, as many Muslims consider it to be sacrilegious. Rushdie is said to have written 14 books, including the 1981 Booker Prize winning book, Midnight’s Children. But, it is The Satanic Verses that made him the target of a fatwa in Iran, where the book is banned, and ever-since he was facing death threats, forcing him to go into hiding.
Fatwas were revoked and even the Iran government had macerated its stance on the issue, and yet the heightened hate towards a book and its author remained disgustingly alive. More than 33 years now, the savaging attack on Rushdie has stunned the entire writing world.
Taking revenge through knives for words is certainly a spineless act. Said Mahatma Gandhi: "A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave."
Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai
Is Chorao bridge a distant dream?
Nearly 30 years back the Chorao bridge was in the news but still has not come into reality. Before 2012 election, the Congress has laid the foundation stone for the bridge at Orando-Madel-Chorao without precise planning and since it lies there in wild weeds.
It may be recalled that during the 2012 Assembly election the former Chief Minister (late) Manohar Parrikar at an election meeting had repeatedly promised the islanders that the Chorao Bridge would be accorded top priority if their candidate and Party comes to power, his words has then received thundering applause from the gathering.
Come elections and gone, the Chorao bridge has remained in silent what indeed a strange that within the years the BJP Government has build semi/ mega bridges across the State and some proposed at hinter-sides on public demand are waiting to come.
Are the islanders not the rightful voters of the legislative assembly and had not voted at every election? How long they should remain unconnected to the mainland and should depend on the ferry crossing? Ferries which often break down and become problem for the commuters and office goers?
After the 2017 election some source in the know has asked the Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant where the bridge statue has reached. He (Chief Minister) has replied that the bridge will be built on sagarmala lines and the land acquisition process is in progress and once cleared the bridge will go into the process of building. Land acquisition started in 2015 since then the peace loving islanders have to content with the same fabricated stories.
At every event, the BJP remembers the legacy of Parrikar. It will be a landmark if the BJP honour the words given by their own Chief Minister and build the bridge and name after him.
Babluis Pereira, Pomburpa
Mera Bharat Mahan!
The spirit round which we all revolved round on the 76th year of Independence Day as the nation was swept over the Tri-colour as we all immersed in national spirit and enthusiasm. It was quite a remarkable transformation as the nation with a new President and Vice-President rallied round for a national cause and exhibited unity in diversity is spread in every nook and corner.
The world looks at us in our enormous response displayed and the way we all abide by the flag discipline in a very big way. In the past we played the unity by cheering our health workers with lighting candles and clapping our hands in unison to display our much needed enthusiasm. Let us all inspire our little ones to get drenched in our golden moments. Mera Bharat Mahan.
C K Subramaniam,
Navi Mumbai
