Cabinet meetings
The government, in order to bring itself closer to the people, has started holding its cabinet meetings away from Dispur in a rotation system. But in reality, has it served its purpose? I am afraid it has not yet happened. Recently, I had a very horrible experience when I was in Nalbari. To my utter shock, the whole town was almost barricaded by security personnel, and the common man had to face big problems in carrying out their daily activities due to huge traffic restrictions to ease VIP movement. Business establishments had to shut down their shutters. The whole town looked like a fortified garrison.
Apart from the sumptuous lunch served to the VIPs (from the state exchequer), there were many unnecessary expenditures of public money by painting the town with new paint. By holding cabinet meetings away from Dispur, the government has, in fact, distanced itself from the common man. Yours truly, through this letter, earnestly request that our popular Chief Minister reconsider his earlier decision as it is not people-friendly.
Dr. Ashim Chowdhury,
Guwahati.
Hung parliament in France
French voters gave a fractured verdict in the legislative elections held on June 30 and July 7, resulting in a hung parliament less than three weeks before the Paris Olympics. The real surprise was that the New Popular Front came first in terms of votes secured in the second and final round of legislative elections. The far-right National Rally, expected to come first, finished third because of a monumental effort by the rest of the political parties ganging up against it in the form of a Republican Front. In practice, this meant that well over 200 candidates belonging to the far-left and centre-right parties withdrew from the race so that they did not split the votes. Macron is now left with two options: One, he could call on the largest grouping in parliament, i.e., the New Popular Front (from the Left), to form a coalition government. If that fails, he could appoint a technocratic government to tide over a period of one year, after which fresh legislative elections can be called again. Either way, France enters an extremely unstable period in its political history. A country founded on the principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity has shown the way to the world. The French voter has done well to safeguard the country’s democratic credentials. On the geopolitical front, a majority for Le Pen’s party would have been a big blow to the West amid the Ukraine war. A possible reduction of France’s military support for Kyiv and a softer stance towards Moscow would have made things tougher for the US-led NATO. All that seems to have been averted, but what Paris still needs is a stable government. That would be in the best interests not only of France but also of Europe and the world at large.
Abhijit Roy
(abhijitroytatanagar@gmail.com)
Digital education in rural areas
Digital education means the blend of digital technology with education, through which the learner can get knowledge from anywhere without going to any institution. This innovative use of digital technology is beneficial for both teachers and students. By exploring new ways, educators come up with a better and more advanced form of teaching students. Digital education gained popularity in India during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the pandemic, it was impossible for students to go to school or college, so digital education came up as a saviour for students. Teachers provided education through different platforms. After COVID-19, many institutions continued to provide education through online mediums, and students found it more convenient. However, digital education is limited to urban students because in rural areas, students face a lot of problems. Students from lower socio-economic backgrounds face challenges in accessing digital education. In rural areas, the network connectivity problem is very common. Reliable and high-speed internet is not universally available, even in urban areas. That’s why they can’t participate in online classes and access educational materials. Many households don’t even have smartphones or laptops, which is why it is difficult to get digital education for rural people. It is a very concerning issue because it will create a disbalance. The government should focus more on digital education for rural students. It will help rural students get high-quality digital education. Collaboration between educational institutions, technology providers, and communities is essential to ensuring that digital education can reach its full potential in rural areas.
Nilim Kashyap Barthakur
(Nilimkashyap123@gmail.com)
Indian football has to be encouraged and uplifted
Cricket, no doubt, is a religion in India, and the fever and fervour cricket lovers get from the game is just astounding. The mass victory parade in Mumbai for our T20 World Champions stands as a testimony to this. The BCCI has done its level best all these years, and their efforts to mould a strong team with excellent players finally paid off well.
When it comes to soccer, though we have millions of fans and clubs and hundreds of tournaments conducted, we are not able to qualify for major world championships. India did have a golden period in the game way back in the 1950s and 1960s. Indian teams participated in the Olympics during this period, and India's best appearance was at the 1956 Summer Olympics, where its team reached the semi-finals—something the new generation may find hard to believe! We have also been champions many times in the Asian region. Are Indian soccer fans destined only to watch the FIFA World Cup, COPA, EURO, and other tournaments mouth drooling and supporting foreign nations rather than ours? Aren't we yearning too to see our team—very much made in India—making its way into world-class tournaments and making us proud? Can't we create a team with eleven players from a nation of 140 crore citizens?
When nations like Croatia and Morocco, with a population that matches less than the population of any Indian state are able to produce world-class players, then why can't we? The answer is with us, definitely. Give importance to football too. The football passion found in just a few states like Kerala, Bengal, Goa, and the Northeast should be made a 'pan Indian passion'. The board controlling soccer should be completely revamped without political interference and made very active and energetic like the BCCI.
A complete football ecosystem, starting from schools and colleges, can help spot very good players who should be given a chance at the district and state levels and finally on the national team. Like the IPL of cricket, the ISL should provide opportunities for our youth to show their talent.
State federations should be strengthened. Football should be brought to the grassroots level. Developing basic infrastructure like more academies, recruiting more coaches, and scheduling timely league tournaments can help improve the soccer aura. Maybe, in the future, as we proudly produced legends like Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil, Sachin, Dhoni, Virat, and Rohit we may have our own Indian Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar, and Mbappe. Time is not far away, but we have to begin now.
M Pradyu
(pradyumukund22@gmail.com)