Power charges for houses with solar panels
With an aim to achieve 100% electrification for households in Goa, the state cabinet on Friday granted approval for the appointment of an agency to install up to 150 additional PV systems for households that have no electricity. After successfully implementing the renewable energy covering up to 150 households, the government has approved extending the benefit of ‘Rural Village Electrification Scheme’ to another 150 houses located in villages.
This scheme is applicable to un-electrified remote villages where the grid connectivity is either not feasible or not cost-effective. 100 per cent financial assistance will reportedly be given to households with an upper limit of Rs. 9000 per household which includes the cost of transportation, installation and maintenance. The households will also be charged monthly electricity consumption charges as fixed by the department.
Solar power is pollution-free and causes no greenhouse gases to be emitted after installation. It is renewable clean power that is available every day of the year. Even cloudy days produce some power. Solar power is renewable at absolutely no cost to supply energy with zero maintenance. The sun is a powerful energy source and it comes free of cost.
What is needed is to tap this immense source of energy. Hence it comes as a surprise that the households which have solar panels installed will be charged monthly electricity consumption charges as fixed by the department. The energy that is obtained free of cost needs to be made available to the households without any electricity consumption charges.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Grant bail for undertrials too
Citing the precedent of Aryan Khan’s bail, the Apex Court must suo moto grant bail to all undertrials, incarcerated in jails across India, for similar offences.
Aryan Khan, son of popular film star Shah Rukh Khan, was released on bail after 28 days in jail, after being arrested in connection with the Mumbai cruise ship drugs case. Aryan Khan was fortunate to have a battery of legal luminaries arguing his case. Needless to say, his father will be happy to foot the bill amounting to several crores of rupees, which begs the question of how many under trials can afford it?
There are over 330,000 under trials in jails most of them poor, young and illiterate who are in jail because of petty crimes. They fight a lonely battle for getting bail. Many are still in jail even after being eligible for bail, simply because they cannot afford to pay the bail amount which for petty crimes amounts to between Rs 500 and Rs 5,000. Many are not even aware they are eligible to apply for bail. And they languish in jail sadly, nobody cares.
It would be a good gesture on the part Shah Rukh Khan if he sets up a free legal aid cell, with full time advocates, at Arthur Road jail, for assisting under trials. Other celebrities would do well to follow the example and set up similar cells across the country. Sharing (of wealth) is caring.
Robert Castellino, Calangute
Have we lost our sportsmanship?
Time and again we have proved in the past that we as a nation do not have a sense of humour and refuse to laugh at ourselves. After the Pak cricket victory, we are showing that we do not have the spirit of sportsmanship also. First trolling Shami, what can he as one man do, the team has to all play. Then Kashmiri students getting beaten up for supporting Pak and someone losing a job for putting in a celebratory post commending the Pak victory. This was all unnecessary but what takes the cake is the CM of UP saying that anyone supporting Pak in cricket will be charged with ‘sedition’.
All these people refuse to see that it is a sport, some have to win, some have to lose. Nothing beyond that. Everyone has the right to support any side who he thinks is better. No one can ram down our throats, support this team only.
Srinivas Kamat, Alto St Cruz
All Saints and All Souls Day
The Catholic Church throughout the world, remembers the departed ones to commemorate the faithful departed better known as ‘All Soul’s Day’ on November 2. Catholics on this day, remember and pray for the souls of people in their families who have died and who are in purgatory – the place in which those who have died atone for their sins before being granted the vision of God in heaven. Through the power of prayer, the people on earth can help these souls gain the heavenly vision they seek. At each one’s home, a special rosary is recited to remember and pray for the souls of their family members, friends, etc.
Preceding All Souls Day is ‘All Saints Day’ on November 1. All Saints Day is observed to honour and remember all those who have lived a pious life and may have not taken cognisance by the church to honour them to be revered as saints. It is presumed that they are in their heavenly abode. These could be any one from our families — from our grandparents’ generation to present times. They are remembered with special liturgical services on November 1.
Somehow, parishioners give more emphasis to their departed ones in keeping with the old church traditions and are seen flocking to the local cemeteries to clean the graves of their departed family members and decorate them with flowers in preparation for the Eucharistic services that are held at the cemetery chapels.
Let us therefore, as we observe the day of the departed, reach out to the needy in times of distress, loneliness and suffering to bring relief and succour.
Jubel D’Cruz, Mumbai
Legal system needs an overhaul
A film actor’s son has been released from prison finally, courtesy the father’s immense financial resources which were used to hire a battery of high powered legal eagles. But spare a thought for the lakhs of people languishing in jails because they have no access to lawyers or worse still cannot afford the excruciatingly high cost of justice.
It’s agonising to note that @ 70% of those imprisoned in India are undertrials, many of whom have yet to be served a charge-sheet; our belaboured criminal justice system is in dire need of urgent and immediate reform. There is no reason for anyone to be an under trial prisoner unless the prosecution can prove emphatically and without a shadow of doubt that they are a physical threat to others.
The lower courts need to implement in letter and spirit that ‘bail should be the norm and jail the exception’ which has been stressed by the Hon’ble Chief Justice himself on numerous occasions.
Rekha Sarin, Benaulim
Cases of Delta variant looming fear
The discovery of AY.4.2 or Delta Plus, a highly transmissible sub-variant of the Delta strain in China, Russia, UK, seems that another wave of Covid on the way. The fast-spreading Delta variant seems to have broken through China’s Covid defences as the country battles its worst outbreak since the virus first emerged there in 2019.
Even though India has crossed the 100 crore vaccination mark, the looming fear and danger of the Coronavirus pandemic are still present.
The WHO has blamed the rise on the easing of Covid restrictions and also cautioned about the rise in Covid-19 cases during the impending winter. But the cause of concern is huge crowds without any precautions. If Covid protocols are not followed, it can still hit back in the form of third wave.
KG Vilop, Chorao
