A book is worth thousand mobiles
The Internet has brought about many changes to our lives, and it looks as if we are living in a very tiny world. The Internet has literally transformed our lives, and the ways in which we interact with our loved ones. We never thought 10 to 20 years ago that things would change to this extent as it is today. It is almost impossible to stay without Internet these days the way we need oxygen.
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The mobile phones have taken over our learning abilities. Reading, writing and conveying verbal feelings have been replaced by the little champ. The pandemic forced children of all ages to get connected to the screen for long hours may due to online classes and due to assignments.
The Internet has also changed the way people used to behave and perform their daily chores, and it has also affected the way of thinking. The moment you are free, you like picking up the mobile phone, and surfing.
It is important to limit the Internet use, or else you suffer from unpredictable ailments, the most common is migraine headache. To me a book in hand is worth a thousand mobiles I don’t know how many will think this way? Very few.
Diomedes Pereira, Corlim
Challenges faced by Rishi Sunak
In Rishi Sunak, Britain has received its 57th Prime Minister. He also became the third occupant of No. 10, Downing Street in less than three months, and the first-ever non-white PM of the country. But the significance of the first person of colour becoming a British PM may get lost in the class dynamics of the country’s critical political moment.
The past few weeks have seen the UK markets hit with storm and turbulence due to Liz Truss’s botched and unfunded plans to cut taxes for higher earners, amid a cost of living crisis and with the country facing a looming black hole in public finances.
The challenges before Rishi Sunak are enormous, and the foremost obviously being to shore up an economy sliding towards recession and reeling after his predecessor’s brief and disastrous experiment in libertarian economics.
Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai
Provide mid-day meals to school children
Amid reports that thousands of school children may have to go without their mid-day meal in schools post Diwali vacation owing to the tussle between contractors and education department over payments and rates. The mid-day meal (MDM) scheme aims to avoid classroom hunger, increase school enrolment, increase school attendance and to improve socialisation among castes. More importantly, children will get nutritional support at the elementary stage.
This is high prevalence of malnutrition, anaemia and low immunity among children in many parts of the State. Under Article 24, para 2c of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which India is a party, India has committed to yielding “adequate nutritious food” for children.
It is not just a scheme, but a legal entitlement of all school-going children in primary and upper primary classes, through the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, as well as the Supreme Court’s ruling in People’s Union of Civil Liberties versus Union of India and Others (2001).
In September 2021, the Mid-Day Meal Scheme was renamed ‘PM Poshan’ or Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman, extending the hot cooked meals to students studying in pre-primary levels or Bal Vatikas of government and government-aided primary schools, in addition to those already covered under the mid-day scheme.
KG Vilop, Chorao
Mid-day meal scheme and self-help groups
It is learnt that thousands of children may have to go without their mid-day meal when schools reopen post the Diwali vacation owing to the tussle between contractors and the Education Department over backlog payments and meal rates.
None of the bills have reportedly been paid since schools resumed this year and those supplying the mid-day meals will be in no position to continue serving cooked food. This is indeed worrisome as it is absolutely necessary to protect the rights of children to food and education.
It is understood that if the issue is not resolved urgently, the scheme will collapse and the contractors will not be in a position to serve in schools post Diwali vacation. It is pertinent to note that those who supply the mid-day meals are women running self-help groups (SHG).
SHG is all about empowering women to earn a living. The purpose of SHG is to raise income levels and quality of life by engaging in economic and enterprising activities with inputs from various schemes of State and Central Governments. If the mid-day meal scheme crisis is not resolved and the scheme stops it is not only the school children who will be affected but also the women of the SHG as it will have a negative impact on their livelihood.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
National Unity Day
National Unity Day (or Rashtriya Ekata Divas) is observed in India on October 31 every year in memory of the First Deputy Prime Minister of India and Home Minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was also known as the ‘Patron Saint of India’s Civil Services’ and the ‘Iron Man of India’.
This year marks the 146th anniversary of the great leader who played an instrumental role in India’s struggle for independence, and later during the integration of the country.
Jubel D’Cruz, Mumbai
BCCI decision a boon for women
The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) decision to bring women cricketers on par with their male counterparts regarding match fees is a step towards gender equality. BCCI secretary Jay Shah confirmed that the contracted senior women’s cricketers’ pay package would be Rs 15 lakh, Rs 6 lakh and Rs 3 lakh for Tests, ODIs and T20Is, respectively.
The revision is a three-fold hike, with the Test match fees rising six times over the existing Rs 2.5 lakh. The game-changing initiative could herald a new dawn in women’s cricket in India.
N J Ravi Chander, Bengaluru
New era in cricket
Having been a promoter of women’s cricket from the early 1980s I feel that equality to our women cricketers as a matter of right is given a boost and the BCCI Honorary Secretary announced that the Indian women cricketers will be paid at par with their male counterparts.
As per the announcement made both men and women cricketers will be paid Rs 15 lakh for Tests, Rs 6 lakh for one-day internationals and Rs 3 lakh for Twenty20 international in equal terms and it is a right step in the right direction.
The revision in fees for India women cricketers is at least a three-fold hike, with the match-fees for Test matches having been six-times than the existing Rs 2.5 lakh per Test. In an attempt to bridge pay-parity between India’s male and female international cricketers, the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) reconstituted apex council has matched match-fees of international women’s cricketers with the same for their male counterparts.
Recently women cricketers won the Asia Cup in Australia and that was the proudest moment. They also participated in the IPL format of the game at various levels and that is outstanding. It is indeed a new era in women’s cricket and opened up a new chapter in woman’s cricket.
CK Subramaniam, Navi Mumbai
