Raw deal for Goan cashew farmers
The market retail price for finished and packed cashew is Rs 1080 per kg, while this year, the government price offer to cashew farmers was Rs 109 per kg, which after “stiff Resistance” by farmers was increased by ‘two rupees’ to
Rs 111 per kg.
That means there is a difference of 9.8 times or ten fold between what the consumer pays and what the farmers get.
In this Rs 111 kg rate, the farmers (who are mostly from middle class OBC and Tribal community) have to pay for labour (cashew picking and removal) as well as transport.
Cashew picking and removal (from the fruit) is a back breaking task, so naturally wages are way higher than the government approved wages, and transportation too is very expensive due to increased fuel price. Substracting these costs from what farmers gets after season’s hard work is literally peanuts!
Is cashew processing (drum roasting, skin pealing and packing) really so expensive that the end user pays almost ten times more than what the farmers get? Don’t the hard working farmers deserve a better rate when finished and packed cashew nuts are so expensive?
Who is eating up all the profit? The middleman, the wholesaler, the factory owner or the retailer?
Is the government waiting for cashew farmers to come on streets? Don’t they have families and children to look after? Don’t they have a life to live which is becoming expensive day by day? Or is it waiting them to commit mass suicides like cotton farmers of Maharashtra and Karnataka?
Sudeep M Dalvi, Mapusa
Goa in dire need of ‘Learn To Float’ prog
It’s a mind blowing initiative implemented by Drishti, titled, ‘Learn To Float, wherein the children are exclusively trained with floating techniques, which can guide individuals in taking prompt action while facing water related issues, like drowning. Moreover, Goa is in dire need of such type of programmes, just to facilitate different learning abilities among children.
Furthermore, as mentioned in certain media outlets, this programme was implemented in certain areas like Calangute, Caranzalem, Margao etc. However, the authorities concerned ought to implement it across Goa.
Eventually, this innovative programme will definitely mark a pivotal step in the near future, in embracing success as far as water fatalities are concerned.
Joseph Savio Desouza, Rajasthan
Importance of teaching children to float
It is learnt that Drishti Marine has extended its ‘Learn to Float’ programme from school campuses to housing enclaves aimed at preventing incidents of drowning.
There have been several instances of drowning of unattended children in swimming pools of hotels and housing societies. Learning to float is one of the skills children are taught that could save a child’s life. This essential life skill teaches them to keep their airways clear of the water and control their breathing if they get into trouble in the water.
The focus on relaxed breathing while floating translates to better breathing techniques overall, beneficial for swimming and calming nerves.
In case of an emergency, being able to float on the back can help the child to stay afloat and conserve energy until help arrives. Floating on the back allows one to relax and release tension from the body. Interestingly it is understood that babies under 6 months float really well due to the high fat content in their body.
The sensation of floating in warm water puts babies completely at ease and helps them build an abundant sense of safety. Muscular strength is increased through the water’s gentle resistance. If a child accidentally falls into water and they don’t know how to float, they are more likely to panic and get into difficulty.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Nursing is a noble profession
The tremendous contribution of nurses to humanity has set the nursing profession apart. Since 1965, to commemorate the birthday of Florence Nightingale, International Nurses Day (INC) is observed all over on May 12.
Nightingale was another name for compassion, and she established plenty of nursing schools during the nineteenth century apart from being a multifaceted personality.
Patience, love, forgiveness, dedication and selflessness are the pillars on which a nursing occupation is assiduously built. Therefore, a nurse is described as a “universal gift” to mankind. Parallelly, a nurse has to be strong and relentless in pursuit towards her goal—patient care with a smile.
Neither a drug nor a tonic may provide care and comfort to an ailing patient as much as the words and work of a nurse can give. They cushion the sorrow and sadness of an individual. It is heart warming that the profession of nursing has gone beyond gender stereotype of a different kind.
However, the first impression of a nurse is always a smiling, loving and soft spoken woman whose patients are her family and hospital her home. All nurses may not be an epitome of a Florence Nightingale; but they are definitely the next best thing. “Caring for one is called ‘love’’ but caring hundreds is “nursing”—these words may seem poetic but is meaningful and apt.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola
