Unapproved drugs is a cause of concern
Medicines are an integral part of healthcare. The Govt of India had banned the manufacture, sale and distribution of 328 Fixed-Dose Combination drugs (FDCs) to prioritise public health and patient safety. Irrational use of FDCs of antibiotics is among the major causes of antibiotic resistance in India.
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A study published in ‘The Lancet’ revealed that over 47% of the antibiotic drugs sold in private sector pharmacies in 2019 were not approved by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation. But these are widely used in our country. The high level of use of unapproved drugs has serious implications for public health. Many people do not go to a doctor but buy medicines over the counter without prescription.
The study has noted that wrong and inappropriate use of antibiotics is a significant driver of antibiotic resistance in India. Such resistance will create a situation where antibiotics will no longer be useful in the treatment of diseases. The supervisory mechanism for monitoring and checking the production and distribution of fake and unapproved drugs should be strengthened. There should be awareness campaigns to spread information about the need to reduce the use of antibiotics and avoid the use of unapproved medicines.
K G Vilop, Chorao
Congress, a confused party
It is well known that Congress is a confused party lately. It is also natural with the large scale exodus of senior leaders coupled with defections that this confusion would happen. When the leadership of the Congress at this time should have concentrated on consolidation and strengthening of the party by having internal elections including that of the President which are all long overdue, we have Rahul Gandhi embarking on this Bharat Jodo Yatra. Little does Rahul and the Congress leaders realise that eyeballs and photo ops do not convert to votes. It may save Rahul Gandhi’s ego to see the turnout on his march but he should know that they are coming just to get a glimpse of him. But an interesting sidelight of the march has been that Sonia Gandhi has been getting an avalanche of marriage proposals for her son from just the two States he has covered. You can imagine the situation on this by the time he reaches Kashmir, one would imagine Sonia Gandhi will be snowed under with options for a responsibility that she has for long been abstaining from.
Coming back to the Congress situation, in Goa after the en masse defection of 8 of their MLAs to the BJP, a news item in Tuesday’s local papers says that Congress will strengthen the party by working from the village level. This is the lack of direction that the Congress shows, instead of choosing leaders who will stay with them they are going to the village to strengthen the party. At this rate the demise of the Congress is assured if it is not dead already.
Srinivas Kamat, Alto St Cruz
Taking the credit for cheetahs’ return
The ‘credit war’ between the ruling BJP and the Congress for the success of ‘Project Cheetah’ paints an ugly and narrow picture. However, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh’s letter in October 2009 which he has released to the media now asking the then Chairman, Wildlife Trust of India to go ahead with the plans for the reintroduction of Cheetahs, is proof enough that Cheetah translocation project had actually started way back in 2009-10 during UPA regime.
Bringing back cheetahs in India has been a long-drawn battle, and it hardly makes sense in seeking credit for the same now by any political party, trying to score brownie points. And reintroduction of Cheetahs in India is certainly not the day’s game, as there are a lot of other bigger and more important issues that require the Centre’s attention. Meanwhile, let the nation welcome the Cheetahs.
Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai
Inflation rate at its peak
Inflation rate has increased from 5.0 percent to 7.0 in just two months. The increase in inflation rate has put common man’s life in jeopardy. Every election is contested on various issues and inflation is one of them. Every political party has an agenda to put forth before the electorate and deliver the same after winning and forming the government. However, now a increase in price has become routine practice and Budget plays no role in it.
Now it’s time for common man and housewives to have monthly budget at home sweet home. Children education and daily expenses cannot be compromised to rise in prices. One can only curtail unwanted expenses to survive and save money. Rise in price in almost all the pulses and there is variation in vegetable prices on day-to-day basis. The only option is to reduce the intake of costly vegetables and rely upon green vegetables.
Locals in Goa do grow vegetables in villages and leafy vegetables which are sold on road side stalls. There is more demand as they are available fresh. Government should help locals to produce more for local consumption which will bring some relief to common man. Proper use of available land and subsidy to encourage local cultivation is only possible way to fight inflation and become self reliant for food items.
Raju Ramamurthy, Vasco
The jumping frogs of Goa
The rainy season might be almost over and with that even the frogs might have gone back to their hideouts but unfortunately the Goan political frogs are still jumping from one party to another even bypassing the oaths they had taken to fool the voters of Goa but not God.
Whether it’s in front of a cross or temple or masjid, they don’t care. For them if time comes they will even exchange their loved ones for their political gains.
Is it going to be the last time that this happens? Never, as it is we the voters who get fooled by free incentives the politicians give us to get them into power and watch them jump from one party to another.
I think even God has left our once beautiful Goa due to our greed, arrogance and selfishness.
Clinton Pereira, Dramapur
Iran’s ‘morality police’ faces criticism
Iran reels from violent protests ignited by the 22-year-old woman’s death who slipped into a coma after her arrest by its ‘morality police’. The police unit responsible for enforcing Iran’s strict dress code for women, notably the wearing of a headscarf in public had already faced growing criticism in recent months over its excessive use of force.
The death of Mahsa Amini, 22, has reignited calls to rein in the ‘moral police’s’ actions against women suspected of violating the dress code, in effect since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Between 8 to 10 million Kurds live in Iran. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have put down unrest in the country’s Kurdish areas for decades, and the hardline judiciary has sentenced many activists to long jail terms or death.
Sadiksha Agrawal, Ujjain
Death by accident
The death of former Tata Group Chairman Cyrus Mistry by accident on September 4 has come as a huge shock to the world of commerce and industry. The cause of his death has been over speeding.
May his soul rest in peace.
Jubel D’Cruz, Mumbai
