Letters to The Editor: Mission Basundhara

The Government of Assam did launch a popular project called 'Mission Basundhara' on October 2, 2021 under the department of revenue and disaster management. That online portal (also offline) was aimed at the settlement of land-related disputes in every district of Assam. The project was also announced through the media, including daily newspapers. It was, however, found that many circle offices of the district did not take necessary initiative to make the people avail the opportunity. In many districts, the staff of circle offices could not even provide the facility for submission of application till the last part of the extended time span (Jorhat was not an exception). It was for that reason many people could not submit applications in due time and submitted applications after the time limit was over. So, I request the authority concerned to consider the above case and to either extend the date for another 2/3 months so that those applications received during that period can also be included in the same project, or offer a separate time frame for the project for the greater interest of the people.

Dr PC Sarmah,

Jorhat-1.

Under-age marriage

According to the marriage-related laws of India, the groom must be at least 21 years old and the bride must be at least 18 years old. But these laws do not seem to be followed by everyone. The practice of early marriage in our society is still not completely gone. In a developing country like ours, most people are in a state of poverty and are not even able to fulfill their basic needs. Jobs are very limited in our country so there is low income. Since our country has a large population and has a male-dominated society, the whole family is dependent on the males of the family, so the income is less compared to the number of family members. In such a situation, it is not possible to bear the expenses of each member of the family and hence girls are considered as burden in some families. Daughters from such families seem to be getting married at a very young age. Not everything can be done at will in our society, as our society is bound by many religious and moral values. So many boys and girls are seen getting married without the knowledge of parents at an early age and parents are also accepting such illegal marriages due to societal pressure. Girls of our country discontinue their studies after marriage along with household works and responsibility towards the family. The low female literacy rate has a dramatically negative impact on family planning and population stabilization efforts in India. And early childbearing impacts women's education, health and nutrition. In early marriage there is higher risk of domestic violence and poor mental health and may also affect the next generation of children. Under-age marriage is a marker of multiple vulnerabilities, all of which reflect women's continuing low status in society relative to men. Furthermore, increased education has had some, but not enough, success in delaying girls' marriage. Women's education may be used to gain better marriage matches, without necessarily widening life opportunities. Until now, little attention has been paid by public health researchers to marriage itself. Instead, early childbearing, which has been shown to put the health of mothers and their children at risk, has been the focus of concern.

Aadarshine Rajkhowa,

Cotton University
Ticket-booking blues

I think there will be hardly anyone who would not like to travel by trains. Train journeys are fun as we get to see the interiors of our great country and know of different hidden places. Many travel writers chose to travel by trains as it not only takes you through the places which are far away from the humdrum of city life, but also gives you an opportunity to meet people from different strata of the society. India is well connected with railways but Assam, in particular, is still a long way from calling itself well connected. Recently, I thought of travelling by train so I tried to book my ticket through IRCTC, but the process of opening an account and then booking was not an easy one. After many failed attempts, I chose to book it through Amazon instead. It is now understandable that why people in Assam choose to travel by bus rather than by train. I urge IRCTC to make the process of booking tickets user-friendly so that people do not have to tear their hair out while booking tickets.

Noopur Baruah,

Tezpur.

It is a welcome move by WHO to establish Traditional Medicine Centre in Jamnagar to usher in new era of traditional medicine globally and the centre will start the age of traditional medicine in the world in next 25 years. Prime Minister Modi along with the Prime Minister of Mauritius laid the foundation stone for the centre in the presence of WHO DG Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and it is the first of its kind WHO GCTM and would go a long way in enhancing the wellness in society. Traditional medicine in India is often defined as including practices and therapies — such as Yoga, Ayurveda, Siddha — that have been part of Indian tradition historically, as well as others — such as homeopathy — that became part of Indian tradition over the years. Ayurveda and Yoga are practised widely across the country; the Siddha system is followed predominantly in Tamil Nadu and Kerala; the Sowa-Rigpa system is practised mainly in Leh-Ladakh and Himalayan regions such as Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Darjeeling, Lahaul and Spiti.

On November 3, 2020, Dr Tedros announced the establishment of the WHO GCTM in India . The Union Cabinet in March this year approved its establishment in Jamnagar with the signing of a host country agreement between the Government of India and the WHO. India has committed an estimated $250 million to support the GCTM's establishment, infrastructure and operations. The GCTM will aim to focus on evidence-based research, innovation, and data analysis to optimize the contribution of traditional medicine to global health. Its main focus will to develop norms, standards and guidelines in technical areas relating to traditional medicine.

The place Jamnagar has been chosen due to some factors. An interim office of the GCTM is planned to be set up at the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA) in Jamnagar. The Central Public Works Department is expected to set up the office by July 31, at an estimated cost of Rs 13.49 crore. ITRA, supported by the Gujarat Government and financed by the Central Government, is the first university to offer education and training in the field of Ayurveda across the world, according to the Ministry of AYUSH. The university is a WHO collaborating centre for traditional medicines. The WHO and the Central Government are also aiming at using technology and innovation, such as artificial intelligence, to map traditional medicine trends, innovations and patents, linking to WHO's Innovation Hub.

Yash Pal Ralhan,

Jalandhar 144003.

Amway scam

The Enforcement Directorate did well to attach assets worth Rs 758 crore of Amway India, as the company was found running a multi-level marketing scam. Allegations of money laundering were made in the past against the well-known MLM company. The popular 'pyramid scheme' of Amway India is a purest fraud scheme. Surprisingly, such schemes work for a short duration on the "teaming and lading" model, robbing Peter to pay Paul. It is a "made-for-scam" scheme and a recipe for disaster. Pyramid schemes have not only lured and robbed many innocent people of their hard-earned money, but also money belonging to their family/friends and acquaintances who invested on their insistence. In fact, acceptance of money under Money Circulation/Multi-Level Marketing/Pyramid Schemes is a cognizable offence under the 'Prize Chit & Money Circulation (Banning) Act, 1978. As a part of its caution, the RBI has reiterated the general public against MLM activities, so that investors do not fall prey to unscrupulous entities.

Ranganathan Sivakumar,

Chennai – 600 091.

Slip of tongue?

GMC election fever has reached a crescendo in the city with the candidates and their supporters doing their best to impress the voters. All the local TV channels are busy holding debates about the possible outcome of the GMC poll. All the heavyweights of the ruling alliance are seen to be actively campaigning for their candidates, including our ever-busy Chief Minister. Interestingly, in one such election meeting our Chief Minister mocked the Opposition about their promises made before the voters by saying that how will the Opposition candidates be able to fulfil their promises when BJP and alliance are in power at Delhi and Dispur? While saying, so our Chief Minister might have forgotten that all councilors elected cutting across their party lines are provided with a fixed fund for development works, which means that a duly-elected councillor of any party will get the same amount of fund. Was it a slip of tongue of our by all-time best Chief Minister ?

Lanu Dutt Chowdhury,

Guwahati.