FRIDAY, DECEMBER 01, 2023
President Murmu needs to act on Manipur
Manipur is on the boil again and yet one does not see Prime Minster Modi turn his attention to the problem and activate any breakthrough initiative. One cannot really understand how the head of the executive branch government can allow a State to continue festering with violence and anarchy for almost five months now.
With such a situation one cannot but make an appeal to President Murmu to intervene in this matter, as and also change his method of dealing with Modi & his government as the governors of non- BJP-ruled states interact with their elected Chief Ministers constantly interfering in all matters of governance, whose actions have the tacit assent of the Central government. This will at least wake up Modi to be more conscious of his responsibilities.
Srinivas Kamat, Alto St Cruz
Hats off to Cotigao village panchayat
Every Cotigao villager and indeed every Goan should be proud that the remote village panchayat was on Wednesday awarded the Best Rural Tourism Village 2023 (bronze category) in the country for promotion and preservation of cultural heritage and sustainable development through tourism. Cotigao was reportedly among the 35 rural tourism villages which were awarded in the gold, silver and bronze categories. Obviously, the national award presented to Cotigao has put the village on the national tourism map. Kudos to the Cotigao village panchayat and all the villagers who have preserved their traditions and kept their village beautiful. It is an honour to the artisans of the village who reportedly make various types of essential items from forest resources and the womenfolk who perform the fugdi and dhalo and for the authorities for preserving the natural forest cover. When there has been haphazard promotion of tourism in the state, with most tourists heading to the beaches, the award for the Cotigao village comes as a breath of fresh air. Other villages in the state also need to be promoted as tourism centers by showcasing local traditions, encouraging artisans, and preserving natural beauty and forest cover.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Release the vessel seized by Iran
It is very sad to know that the Marshall Islands-flagged ‘Advantage Sweet’ has been detained and seized by Iran’s navy since April 26, 2023. The captain of the vessel must have reported to the owners of the vessels and Northern Marine vessels, who are managers of the vessel in India, the disputed incident which had led to this seizure. They should be in close touch with all the appropriate authorities to obtain the release of the crew and vessel and information passed to the families of the seafarers’ families that the loved ones are safe onboard the ship. No country seizes a vessel unless there is a breach of law or a dispute. I hope the country releases the vessel at the earliest with our third goan engineer onboard, at the earliest .
Ashwin Caeiro, Cansaulim
Swaminathan was legendary
With the passing of Dr M S Swaminathan, the nation had lost Dr Swaminathan collaborated with fellow scientist Norman Borlaug and others to develop high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice, which marked the inception of the ‘Green Revolution’, a transformative initiative that would significantly increase crop productivity, helping India to become self-sufficient in foodgrains. Dr Swaminathan was honoured with Padma Shri Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awards, besides receiving the H K Firodia Award, the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award and the Indira Gandhi Prize. In recognition of his impact on international agricultural and environmental initiatives, Time magazine named Dr Swaminathan as ‘one of the most influential Asians of the 20th century.’
Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai
Swaminathan’s death a huge loss for us
The demise of Dr M S Swaminathan, the visionary agricultural scientist and pioneer of the ‘Green Revolution’ and Padma Vibhushan awardee, is a huge loss to the nation. After independence, he made an incredible contribution to making India self-reliant in food grains, which will always be unforgettable. He changed many people’s lives with his ‘pro-poor, pro-women, pro-nature approach’ and especially brought about a great revolution in the lives of the village populace.
Jahangir Ali, Mumbai
Caution deposits must be refunded
During admission to the first year of undergraduate courses in colleges and post-graduate courses in universities, students pay variable amounts as ‘caution deposits.’ These are collected along with the fees towards library books, gymnasium equipment, laboratory usage (from science students), etc, while hostellers pay deposits for rooms and mess. The deposits would vary from a few hundreds to thousands of rupees, depending on the educational institution and facilities. Once a student passes out or leaves the course, the deposits are refunded on production of the original fee receipts. Often they are unclaimed.
Since the caution money is legally a ‘deposit’, it would be justifiable if it is automatically refunded (after deductions, if any) when the students leave the institutions/hostels through online transfer.
Sridhar D’Iyer, Caranzalem
Tourism is crucial for culture & economy
The tourism sector has created its own space across the world. The economy of many countries is dependent on tourism. Tourism is not just travelling, but has become a major means of global unity, cultural understanding and economic and other types of cooperation among countries. The Central and State Governments must focus on villages where there is potential for tourism in order to prevent migration from villages, create new employment in villages and economically enrich villages.
Due to the new possibilities of tourism being created in the villages in all the states and the progress being seen in this field, the number of domestic and foreign tourists is continuously increasing. It has become a great medium to promote discussion and enrichment.
N Ashraf, Mumbai
