Suicide control
The incidence of intentionally causing own death – suicide — refuses to die down in India. Globally, approximately eight lakh people commit suicide every year that amounts to almost one in forty seconds. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the age group 15-29 in India. National suicide rate in India was 10.4 per one lakh population and approximately 1, 39,000 people took their own lives in 2019.
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Many acts of suicide may have been disguised as natural deaths failing to meet any of the criteria defined by the government to be considered a suicide. According to the United Nations (UN), only 28 countries have an action plan in place for prevention of suicide which reflects a low priority of countries for the daunting health problem; that’s worrying because suicide has ceased to be a problematic health issue.
It is a public health disease that directly affects the young though no age is exempt from suicidal tendencies. Nowadays, loss of a precious life due to suicide is passed off as another thing. When a celebrity takes his/her life, animated discussions ensue which unfortunately is not the case when the sufferer is a commoner. Socio-environmental and psycho-cultural factors like poverty, unemployment, financial issues, difficulty in relationships, educational failures, family setbacks, chronic illnesses, depression and substance abuse lead the pack in the risk factors for taking one’s own life.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has a steadfast goal to reduce the incidence of suicide to one third of the present number by the year 2030. Prevention cannot be very difficult. Despair and distress, the two common emotions, need to be tackled. Family awareness about the early signs displayed by a vulnerable person is crucial in halting the person in his track. Family and societal intervention in removing the susceptible to safe havens and keeping a close watch on the person’s body language can go a long way.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola
Crime diminishes Goa’s image
The recent spate of murders and other crime has tarnished Goa’s image and is taking away from its tag of ‘destination of choice’ for tourists. The Hon’ble CM’s claim that the State tops the ranks when it comes to crime detection and conviction rates has to be taken with a pinch of salt as the facts on the ground paint a different picture altogether. Rapes, gangland killings, child lifting, mobile and chain snatching which were unheard of as early as one year ago are today not uncommon; quick arrests and fast conviction are an exception rather than the norm when it comes to tackling offenders.
Accountability is non-existent, trials drag on for years and sometimes investigations are scuttled under pressure from influential ministers. Another worrisome trend being witnessed is the easy availability of arms and ammunition through interstate gun runners and the entry of hardened criminals from other parts of the country.
Most of the police force is either deployed for VIP duty, quelling public demonstration of dissent or harassing the opposition, very few personnel are left for actually enforcing the rule of law. Goa, though not on the brink of a complete collapse when it comes to law and order is slowly getting there. There seems to be a lack of political will to come down hard on criminals and if things are allowed to drift this way then tourists will start giving the State a wide berth and opt for other safer destinations, what effect this will have on the economy is anybody’s guess.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
BJP’s attempt to bury Covid failures
In the 2022 assembly election in States the BJP may play up national security issues to drown local concerns. Voters seldom make up their minds based on one campaign or even a successful road shows that politicians are known to organise in crowded bazaars. In some States government failed to provide medical care when the pandemic swept the State. Horrific images of people quarantined being served food like stray animals or dead bodies piling up at mortuaries went viral on social media. The unrelenting increase in fuel and LPG cylinder prices over the past several months have triggered fierce criticism of the BJP government from the opposition and members of the public, crores of whom are struggling to make ends meet during a pandemic. Besides, there was a bizarre undercounting of the dead and infected.
Newspapers and public personalities who are critical of the government and its policies have also been raided. The agencies themselves give publicity to their actions and even disclose the extent of the alleged wrongdoing, for impact. The government has not been deterred by criticism and is even expanding the scope of its actions to include the BJP’s own squabbles.
K G Vilop, Chorao
Keep politics away from student councils
Unlike our good old college days, now the Student Council elections in the Colleges and University are fought in dirty political style, with patronage in money and muscle power by political parties. This is a step in the wrong direction and portends grave consequences. We have even witnessed candidates being kidnapped. Is this the way to prepare our future politicians?
And, in the midst of all this, when a teacher remains “neutral” and is not expressing a view, due to his own personal political affiliation, he/she is failing in enabling an authentic debate on socio-economic issues crucial for developing our students’ vision. They must leave the educational campus with all the tools they need to actively engage themselves on the political turf in the future.
With political parties having infiltrated the temples of learning, no wonder today, we do not see the rock solid student unity that Goa witnessed in the late 70’s and 80’s when the Student Power based on fact and conviction, was a very vibrant force for good to reckon with.
It may now be too late to reverse the clock and sanitise the educational institutions from the political broth. Nonetheless an effort in this direction must persist in the best interest of the student community so that they are moulded in schools and colleges in the right perspective.
Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar
Physical classes; role of PTA important
After nearly one-and-a-half years gap, many schools in the State have reopened which brought excitement to the students who were very happy to be back in school after a prolonged shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Students and teachers of classes 9 to 12 were back to school. Offline classes have several advantages over online classes as clearing of doubts and solving difficulties is better when classes are held in a physical mode and the students get to meet their friends. However, many parents have reportedly expressed apprehension over their children attending physical classes as they claimed that they were not taken into confidence and were concerned about the safety of the students as children were still not vaccinated.
It goes without saying that the safety of the students as far as Covid-19 infection is concerned is of paramount importance. Hence parents and teachers need to be in constant touch with one another. Here is where the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) should play an important role. The school PTA needs to have frequent meetings in order to see that all SOPs are followed in the schools. Any student with even mild symptoms of viral infection needs to be tested for the Corona virus and isolated and not sent to school if tested positive.
The school PTA needs to keep a constant vigil on the conduct of the physical classes.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
