Power debate, a big disappointment
The debate on whose power model best suits Goa was a big disappointment. It was not rooted in substance, but, thankfully it was not a slugfest either, like the Fox – moderated Ohio Presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Goa’s Power Minister Nilesh Cabral, clearly didn’t come prepared and seemed to be more in an attack mode rather than defending his own model. On the other hand, Delhi’s Power Minister, Satyendra Jain, though a better orator of the two, not only had his arguments lost in translation, but, also interspersed them with jibes.
AAP has put free electricity at the forefront of all its election promises. Its top national leaders see an opportunity to present their party as a credible alternative to both the BJP and the Congress. How else would it explain the countless number of trips they have made and continue to make to Goa? At the end, the debate lived up to its hype, but, sadly produced no winner.
David Fernandes,
Margao
World Hepatitis Day
World Hepatitis Day, observed on July 28 every year, aims to raise global awareness of hepatitis a group of infectious diseases known as Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E and encourage prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Hepatitis affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide, causing acute and chronic disease and killing close to 1.34 million people every year. Hepatitis causes liver diseases and can also kill a person.
In some countries, hepatitis B is a commonest cause of cirrhosis and may also causes liver cancer. The viruses are transmitted through different routes Hepatitis A and E through contaminated food and water; Hepatitis B – through unsafe blood and other bodily fluids and Hepatitis C – mostly through infectious blood. The objective of dedicating a day for Hepatitis Awareness is to provide an opportunity to focus on strengthening prevention, screening and control of viral hepatitis and the diseases that it causes.
Jubel D’Cruz, Mumbai
Oppn unity a must, to form alternative
With Lok Sabha elections set to be held in 2024, this is the right time for opposition parties to come together and form a national unified front to contest the elections against the NDA government. All opposition parties should join hands and come up with a seat sharing agreement. The seat sharing can be done for the purpose of winnability on the basis of the performance in the Assembly elections.
Lok Sabha seats can be allotted on the basis of performance in the Assembly elections so as to make the best possible use of the support of the people. It is futile to fight elections separately and then to join forces since a huge splitting of votes will prove counterproductive. It is any time better to have pre-poll arrangements thus making best use of joint forces. In a democracy, there should not be a monopoly of one party in power and this is the reason why all opposition parties have to come together to form an alternative government at the Centre.
The TMC Chief and West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee has been making efforts to form a coalition of parties coming together and all other parties including the regional opposition parties should join hands in the formation of an alternative. This coalition of opposition parties have a good chance of winning since, their vote share is enough to ensure victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Elvidio Miranda,
Panjim
Time for Modi to start on Kaam Ki Baat
PM Narendra Modi (despite bringing poverty, unemployment, unrest in the country during the last 7 years of his rule) is still seen reading ready-made drafted speeches of his close advisors on screen sitting in a studio room and entertaining all our gullible Indians discussing not real issues but by simply telling them a few fairy-tale stories from around the country through his much-hyped monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat for his own self publicity in India
Today, a massive political row has erupted after media reports have claimed that Pegasus spyware was used to conduct surveillance on about 300 Indians, including ministers, political leaders, government officials and journalists. Unfortunately, Modi has not bothered to utter a single word in the latest edition of his Mann Ki Baat over the same issue. In fact, Modi (who otherwise always makes it a point to give his own quick lessons/suggestions for all our doctors, engineers, scientists, teachers, students, sportspersons etc behaving like one big highly qualified intellectual) is still seen refusing to give a single press conference or to make any statement in Parliament over this issue clarifying whether there really had been surveillance or not, why?
The leaders of the opposition are currently rightly demanding for a discussion in Parliament and have also asked the government to either call for a joint parliamentary committee probe or request the Supreme Court to appoint a sitting judge to investigate the matter to bring out the whole actual truth into this whole Pegasus snooping allegations scam.
It’s definitely time for Narendra Modi to start talking of “Kaam Ki Baat” immediately because most people are really tired of listening to his fake produced “Mann Ki Baat” boring programme by now as the same makes everyone to still live in a fake world of fantasy and not in today’s actual reality in our country. Over to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his time starts now….
Jerry Fernandes,
Saligao
Give relief to tourist taxi operators
The Goa government must give some monetary relief to the tourist taxi operators, as they have no income at present. And whereas, now they have burden of purchasing new digital meters worth of Rs 11,000 each. Law is law. The Goa cabinet recently approved a scheme for providing one-time financial assistance of Rs 5,000 to workers from marginalised and unorganised sectors who have lost their livelihood due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And this financial assistance must go to them without delay.
The scheme is covering auto-rickshaw drivers, motorcycle pilots, taxi operators, employees under Non-Muster Roll registered with various panchayats, and those listed under traditional occupations of the state social welfare department, according to the government. Good, something is better than nothing.
But does this one time financial assistance reach to the deserving people? All the taxi operators have almost registered with Directorate of Transport, so cheques should go to them directly.
Rajesh Banaulikar, Arpora
Request to the new governor
Had the occasion of meeting our new Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai at Raj Bhavan and I took the liberty of making some humble suggestions of issues that he could focus on in the best interests of the State.
To do justice as the custodian and constitutional head of the State, the Governor should be truly non-partisan. Will Governor Pillai care to be proactive like Governor Satya Pal Malik? We shall soon know.
Governor Pillai has just recently taken over and it will take him some time to settle down. He has started on a right note by asking visitors seeing him not to bring bouquets. But the bigger challenge for the new Governor will be to stay politically detached from that Lotus and uphold the Constitution of India at all times while holding fort at our Raj Bhavan.
Aires Rodrigues,
Ribandar
