G Plus Vol 7 Issue 35

@guwahatiplus | /c/gplusguwahati www.guwahatiplus.com

INSIDE

Volume 07 | Issue 35 Jun 20 - Jun 26, 2020 Price `10 School fees fracas: Why schools want what parents don’t want to give?

2020 – A Year Of Challenges

Centre Spread PG 08-09

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We could have helped in better Covid Control:

GSCL

Ex-GMC Councillors Guwahati Smart City in Limbo G Plus News @guwahatiplus

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Guwahati

Containment Zones Throwing up woeful stories

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he much-hyped Guwahati Smart City project conceptualised in the beginning of 2016 has not moved an inch in the last four years. A project which promised to change the face of Guwahati has been given scant attention by an apathetic government.

Since inception, the company - Guwahati Smart City Limited (GSCL) - created as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), has witnessed work being confined to only boardroom meetings and it has become a victim of redtapism. In a span of four years it appears as if there is a musical chair competition of sorts going on for the Managing Director’s (MD) chair of the company. Five MDs have been changed so far and this very fact shows the apathy of the state government towards the project otherwise tom-tommed by the central government at one point in time as a great step for the future. Till date, 18 board meetings of the company have taken place without any tangible work on the ground.

“You can say nothing has moved since we have taken up this project…frequent changes of MDs coupled with unrealistic DPR of projects which need large sums of money has become the main stumbling block…nothing is implemented on the ground,” a senior official who wished anonymity told G Plus.

Secondly, Assam has even failed to utilise the Centre’s funding of Rs 500 crores per year. This has happened mainly due to the filing of unrealistic Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) which, which by themselves, also require huge state funding.

The Gauhati High Court, in a recent order over a PIL, directed the Principal Secretary of the State Finance Department to constitute a committee of senior officers and

experts, including people from the police and the field of finance, for monitoring the utilisation of funds lying unutilised with the GSCL. The court also made it clear that the constitution of the committee was not to create impediments in the bid process or implementation of the project.

“The committee must make sure that the processes are not delayed, rather with their assistance, are speeded up,” the court order said.

As per Smart Cities Council India (SCCI), half of the 23 cities surveyed do not generate enough revenue internally to even pay for the salaries of their municipal staff, while a third of the municipal staff positions remain vacant.

Experts opined that the funding for smart cities is falling through the cracks as there are very few cities doing value capture financing. Some cities lack the time and resources to complete the projects.

Needless to say for instance, in the case of the Guwahati Smart City project, initially after the hype and hoopla associated with the project, political interference became the order of the day rather than a realistic approach.

If the project has not moved, the blame squarely lies with the political class and with the management for making faulty and unrealistic DPRs. There were around 11 projects under the smart city preparation plan till March 2018 out of which, at present, only 5 projects are under process.

Since the beginning till date, the 11 projects under smart city were Borsola Beel development, Mora Bharalu development, Bharalu development, Brahmaputra Riverfront development, Deepor Beel development, Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) with smart electricity poles for smart lighting, Anytime Water Machines, Smart Public Toilets, Highest National Flag construction at Gandhi Mandap, Gandhi Mandap development and

a special road from Guwahati to AIIMS at Changsari.

Of these 11 projects, the ones which are at present under process are Anytime Water Machines, Smart Public Toilets, Highest National Flag construction at Gandhi Mandap, Gandhi Mandap development and Project Jyoti.

3 projects have been completed according GSCL viz Installation of 20 Anytime Water Machines across Guwahati, Installation of 20 Bio-Toilets and commissioning of the highest National Flag at Gandhi Mandap.

Building 100 smart cities was an election promise of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2014. After coming to power, the Narendra Modi-led government allocated Rs 7,060 crores for this purpose in its first budget. It formally launched the Smart Cities Mission in June 2015, with an allocation of Rs 48,000 crores. Over the next two years, 100 cities were selected for central grants of Rs 500 crores each.

According to the Union Ministry of Urban Development, there is no universally accepted definition of a Smart City. It means different things to different people as the conceptualisation of Smart City varies from city to city and country to country, depending on the level of development and willingness to change and reform the resources and aspirations of the city residents.

In Guwahati, the Brahmaputra riverfront development was expected to be a reform for the city beautification and the project was aptly put under the Smart City Mission. But ironically, the project has been put on hold despite the fact that the detailed project report is being prepared by Tata Consulting Engineers.

In 2009-10 the Congress-led Tarun Gogoi government had also dreamt of a Rs 300 crore plan for beautifying the Brahmaputra riverfront and GMDA was assigned with the task. But even that task remained a pipedream then.

2 Lead Story Snippets FIR Lodged Against Bengal Man for Degrading Sukapha on Twitter

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n FIR has been lodged against Garga Chaterjee, a resident of Kolkata, for insulting Sukapha, founder of the Ahom kingdom of Assam on Twitter.

According to reports, Bhaskar Gogoi, a resident of Dibrugarh lodged an FIR at Dibrugarh Police Station on June 18.

In a series of tweets, Chaterjee called the great Ahom king as Chinese invader and questioned Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal for celebrating ‘Asom Divas’ which is in commemoration of Chaolung Sukapha.

However, Chaterjee later deleted the tweets.

“I demand strict punishment against him.

The Assam Government should write to Twitter to suspend his account,” Gogoi said.

Kamakhya Devalaya Committee Cautions Devotees About Fraudsters

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he Maa Kamakhya Devalaya Committee, in a press release on 17th June, informed of the presence of fraudsters who had been looting devotees by pretending to be priests.

These fraudsters are reportedly running fake websites, FB pages, online shopping companies and thereby collecting money from innocent devotees for online puja, prasad, sindoor, raktabastra etc through them.

Most of the fraudsters cheat the devotees with the pretext of offering prayers at the shrine on their behalf.

The committee has thus requested devotees to authenticate the identity and the local address of such people before making payments.

“No one except the priests/ pandas who are residing here for generations has the access to these things,” read the press release.

Mohit Chandra Sarma, Doloi of Maa Kamakhya Devalaya Committee talking to G Plus said, “We have been seeing many online sites selling products in the name of the holy shrine. But the temple priests have not been involved in any such online puja or anything else.”

“We have put up a verbal complaint with the Kamakhya Police Outpost as of now. If required we will file a written complaint later on,” he added.

| Jun 20 - Jun 26, 2020

We could have helped in better Covid Control: Ex-GMC Councillors Barasha Das @Barasha_mi2

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or DJ Handique (name changed on request), it has been a predicament that he is finding difficult to tackle.

For one thing, it took him by surprise that one Covid-19 positive case was detected in the vicinity of his residence. No travel history, nothing. What shook him up truly was his residence being marked as a containment zone as well even though the official notification from the deputy commissioner’s (DC) office clearly placed his residence outside the demarcated boundaries. Multiple visits to the DC’s office bore no fruit towards the removal of the tag.

Handique reached out to his former ward councillor who expressed helplessness in the matter having remained out of power for close to two years now ever since the dissolution of the last Guwahati Municipal Corporation Council which completed its tenure on 31st July 2018. The elections to constitute a new council have remained pending ever since for reasons unknown.

With the coronavirus pandemic surging, experts are of the opinion that it will peak in the coming months of July and August. The central government however declared Unlock 1, rather than continuing with the lockdown that was imposed when cases were at the minimum.

With the influx of people from other states into Assam,

The erstwhile GMC Council in a meeting during its tenure | G Plus file photo and the number of positive cases currently rising by more than hundred per day, media and politicians have started speculating whether the current situation can be referred to as the community transmission stage.

Despite such fears, Guwahatians have treated the situation with laxity; crowds around street food vendors, youngsters roaming around in groups, traffic and chaos on

the streets of Guwahati and reportedly, even kitty parties have already become a regular feature just like normal times prior to the pandemic outbreak even as the district administration is trying its best to grapple with the situation. And making a rather large number of mistakes in the process; Handique’s containment zone is just one case in point.

Clearly, Guwahati is facing a lack of good monitoring

and awareness creation at the ward level. There is just no one to oversee crowd control, social distance and hygiene maintenance.

In such a situation, a question that automatically arises is: Could the GMC Council, if it was in place, have monitored the situation at the ward levels better and the city’s Covid Control programme could have been thereby more effective?

Taking a leaf out of Meghalaya managing a grassroots problem at grassroots level Reportedly, Meghalaya has established a “Behaviour Change Model for living with COVID-19” whereby every citizen will be treated as an asymptomatic carrier of the virus. Apart from testing and isolating people who would be travelling to the state, the model also aims to provide psychological help, make behavioural changes to adapt to the situation and provide

training for the same.

For the behaviour change model to work, the health workers such as ASHA and Anganwadi workers as well as other trainers will be employed to spread awareness and training to individuals.

Also, village headmen and local volunteers will be helping with spreading awareness and developing hygiene habits among the citizens. Moreover,

officials, teachers as well as representatives of different organisations like taxi associations, market unions etc are currently being trained as trainers, who will then be training the masses.

Lead Story

| Jun 20 - Jun 26, 2020

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The dead GMC Council Guwahati has 31 wards. The tenure of the GMC Council ended on 31st July, 2018 and ever since there has been no Council in the biggest metropolis of the northeast. Nor a Mayor! As per the 74th Amendment Act, Section 3(f) of the Indian Constitution, re-elections are to be conducted within six months of the previous council’s expiry. It is close to two years now.

Given the inability of the authorities to impose the COVID-19 protocols amongst the Guwahatians, concerned citizens have raised the issue wondering whether having the councillors in place could have helped implement Covid control protocols better.

G Plus spoke to few of the former councillors of Guwahati for their opinion on the issue.

This is what they have to say: Mrigen Sarania (former Mayor of Guwahati from 2016-18, BJP member): “In Guwahati, the Nagarik Samitis under the police stations are deployed to manage home quarantine issues and other COVID-19 protocols. But having the councillors would have made a greater impact as it is a government assigned position and people are more willing to follow orders of councillors rather than of public representatives. These committees which are appointed for the job have people who have volunteered or were already with the Nagarik Samitis. But they have their own vested interests.

Also citizens easily take up their issues with the councillors rather than with any random volunteer.

Further, ward councillors and area members could have taken up awareness programs at the true grassroots level.”

Rajkumar Tewari (former councillor from Ward 9, BJP executive member): “I am a party worker of the present government. Yet I feel this is

a major mistake made by the government. Guwahati is facing a major crisis. Earlier, there 31 councillors and 90 area members who knew their own areas well and also knew almost 70 to 80 percent of the citizens personally.

But the MLAs would never know his citizens so closely. So the Council could have done a far better job in managing the whole war against coronavirus.

“Also, ministers and MLAs are mostly senior people. So they are to maintain social distancing and stay at home. How will they go out for field work? Had there been area sabha members and councillors, who are generally a younger energetic lot, they could have done a much better job in tackling all situations, especially in this pandemic.

“The lockdown was not properly planned, at least in Assam. It was announced prior to the actual crisis. We could have easily celebrated Bihu as usual.

After all, Holi was celebrated with the usual fanfare and there was no transmission. Had the government sealed the borders, the pandemic could have been prevented. People were allowed to come in and, at the same time, the lockdown was lifted although the preparations made are good.

The Nagarik Samitis which are now formed should have been made at the beginning and the members should have been chosen not as per party affiliations but on the work they can do.”

Ashima Bordoloi (former councillor from Ward

14, Congress member): “Definitely, ward level committees would have been better to fight the coronavirus pandemic because for any developmental work decentralisation is very important. If there is division and delegation then control and management is better.

The ex-councillors can be appointed for the work like the village headmen in the villages.

“The council elections should have been conduced long back but the government is delaying the process.

Proper planning should have been done as it is a totally unforeseen situation. The lockdown has been lifted at a time when its continuation was of utmost necessity.

The government needs to put tremendous effort on awareness.

Ward level committees with the help of councillors could have proven to have better effect.

Instead of one controlling power, the system should have been decentralized and there should be meetings and monitoring from time-to-time.”

Balen Bharali (former

The last GMC Council in full strength pose for a photo | G Plus file photo councillor from Ward 12, BJP councillor): “In other districts, I have been told that councillors, both current and former are being activated to tackle the crisis at the ward level. But in Guwahati, the ex-councillors have not been approached for help.

Rather, the booth-level workers of BJP are doing the job. As per constitutional provisions, re-

elections should have been held within 6 months of the expiry of the previous council’s tenure.

Since the election has not been conducted in Guwahati till date - and it is going to be two years now - the ex-councillors and area members could have been called to support the cause. But I still believe a Council could have handed the situation better.”

The erstwhile Council’s tenure expired on 31st July, 2018.

As such, the re-elections should have been conducted by 31st January, 2019. But approaching 2 years, the GMC Council remains void.

Mrigen Sarania, former Mayor said, “The GMC council elections have a history of not being regular. After the then Council’s tenure ended in 1983, the next elections were held in 1995. It was a gap of 12 years. The next election was held in 2003 and then in 2013. Because of these lapses many developmental works have also been lagging.

And this is a major drawback.”

“As per my information the government is considering dividing Guwahati into 60 wards from the present 31 wards. Earlier, 60 wards did

exist but this was later changed to 31 wards.

The process is underway.

Also, the GMC elections were earlier conducted at the district level. But the same will now be conducted by the State Election Commission.

This will add power to the Council. All these have added to the delay. Even then, elections should have been conducted by now,” Sarania added.

Janasanyog No. 902/20

Reasons of delay in the GMC Council elections

4 Concern

| Jun 20 - Jun 26, 2020

Guwahati Containment Zones throwing up woeful stories Rifa Deka @dekarifa

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s my father works in the private sector, he will have to face a pay cut for 14 days. We are not getting enough groceries too,” wrote Saurav, a young citizen from Guwahati on G Plus’s Instagram channel.

Apart from Saurav, there were other people who wrote about not being able to get groceries and other essentials delivered to their doorsteps even as they remained confined without being able to step out for the same.

“Not getting food and all nearby shops are closed. All members are getting suffocated at home. We know there is no other option but to remain this way, but the main problem is food,” said Gaurav Sharma.

With people are between fulfilling responsibilities, need for economic stability and fear of getting infected by the dreaded virus. As it stands at the time of filing this report, over 80 areas across the city have been officially earmarked as active containment zones by the district authorities.

Given this situation and to understand the condition of people inside such containment zones, G Plus asked netizens to write the problems being faced by them.

As mentioned by Saurav, things have not been easy for those employed in private sector organizations; people are bound to face pay cuts for a period of 14 days due to their absence from the workplace.

A few others on the internet

raised concerns over the urban poor not being able to earn a livelihood for a period of at least two long weeks and appealed to the authorities for help in this regard.

“I live in a containment zone right now and we are facing too many problems. Firstly, the government should sanitize our place and they should probably provide rations to the poor families. Many families in these containment zones are daily wage earners. How will they feed their children? They cannot earn to feed their children during these days,” opined a netizen, Rishab Singh Rajput on Instagram.

“The government must commence rapid testing as soon as possible or else those infected by the virus might end up spreading the disease to others as well,” he added.

People also expressed fears over their area not being sanitized for a period of 2 to 3 days despite the area being declared Containment Zones.

“The boundaries of the Pan Bazar Containment Zone had been extended on Thursday but the government authorities have not put any instructions on the barricade. People are not following any norms of Containment Zone and are going out and coming in as usual,” commented Merazul Haque on Instagram giving a direct instance of gross mismanagement by the administration and the lackadaisical attitude of the people who seem to have turned apathetic to the dreaded virus.

Sanchaita Abhishek, another Instagram user, conveyed his plight through a comment saying, “It has been three days since our

Representative Image | G Plus photo

By Lane No. 2, Birubari, Udaipur, near Kalimandir was declared a Containment Zone but till now no sanitization has been done.

We are deeply concerned about our health. No swab testing has been done till now either.”

Citizens seek help from authorities to put an end to problems which are hindering their sustenance and normal lives due to their area being marked as a Containment Zone and people eagerly wait in anticipation of prompt action from the district administration.

An instance of superficiality on the part of the district administration has cropped up at the Latasil containment zone.

While the district administration, in its order, has clearly demarcated the containment zone giving its boundaries, it has, for reasons best known to it, installed a poster declaring an area outside and further south of the defined boundaries as a containment zone as well.

Consequently, the household, for no fault of theirs, has become a containment zone and despite multiple requests at the Deputy Commissioner’s office, the authorities have refused to remove the tag.

With all these instances, a certain level of failure or inefficiency on the part of the administration of Kamrup

(Metro) cannot be ruled out.

Coupled with this is the apathy with which people are treating the whole issue. With more containment zones expected to crop up, it can only be anticipated that the woes of the common people are on the rise with no mitigation of the same in sight.

Guwahati is currently reeling with 99 active containment zones with all indicators showing a possible start to community transmission. However, health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, while interacting with the press in GMCH on 17th June, clarified that the same would be declared by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Guwahati: Foot over-bridge construction at Ganeshguri begins G Plus News @guwahatiplus

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uwahatians will soon get a new foot over bridge at Ganeshguri, near the bus shed at the GMDA parking

area.

Construction of the bridge commenced on June 17 to reduce traffic congestion on the perennially busy stretch of the road especially during the peak hours.

Meanwhile the Guwahati Traffic Police vide a tweet informed people of the same.

“Traffic Advisory: construction of the Foot Over Bridge at

Ganeshguri (near Bus Shed, GMDA parking) has started; resulting in narrowing down of the GS road at the point. Drive cautiously,” read a tweet on their official Twitter handle.

Guwahatians took to the social media handles of G Plus to share their views on the upcoming foot bridge.

Syed Wasif said, “I am just praying that it is completed soon enough has the stretch is already notorious for the traffic snarls.”

A few citizens also spoke about the non-usage of the foot bridges by people.

Himanish Paul said, “People don’t use foot-bridges provided in major areas like Maligaon

and Ulubari. I hope people start using it rather than taking shortcuts.”

Utpal Saikia said, “This is a good move but will the public use it? I never see people using the foot over bridge near the secretariat in spite of there being one. Along with the construction government also needs to ensure that people are using these bridges.”

Aziza Yasmin said, “It is wastage of money as nobody uses them. The ones at Sukreswar Temple, Lachit Nagar and Machkhowa are proof.”

Another citizen said that merely 20 percent people use these foot bridges.

A few citizens also

appreciated the move by the government.

Aloy Bharali said, “This was much needed, better late than never. It will not only ease traffic congestion at the point but it will also be safer for pedestrians while crossing the ever busy road. The only concern that remains is will the public use it?”

Raghabendra Dutta Baruah said, “Finally! I hope lifts are installed like the ones in the Maligaon footbridge but of higher capacity. And why not escalators while they’re at it?”

Juboraj Baruah said, “This is a very good initiative. It was much needed since a long time.”

Dika Tuolor said, “I’m happy

with any kind of positive change taking place within the city. Hope they complete the work soon.”

Rajib Das said that a foot and bike over bridge is much needed at Adabari Tiniali too.

Expressing her concern Tanisha Dev said, “Many people can’t climb steps, these GMDA folks must keep that in mind and find some alternative.”

Indrajit Singh said, “There are constructions going on at Old Post Office Bus Point and Walford Bus point, but it seems that it will narrow down the width of the road there.

Concerned authorities should look at this from that point of view too.”

City

| Jun 20 - Jun 26, 2020

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School fees fracas: Why schools want what parents don’t want to give?

Rifa Deka @dekarifa

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rom the perspective of parents who have wards studying in the private schools of Guwahati, the following opinion seems just right.

“We agree that teachers and other staff should be paid full salaries but other than that, they do not have other expenses.

May be some schools have EMI of buses or something extra. In that case, our only appeal is that since the government of India has also instructed schools to collect only 50 percent of fees for the month of April which all schools have agreed to, now we are requesting schools to take 50 percent of actual tuition fees even for the next few months till schools reopen in a fullfledged manner and 50 percent of the bus fees towards salaries of drivers, handymen etc,” said Sanjay Sureka talking to G Plus.

Sureka happens to be the state president of International Human Rights Council of the Social Justice Department besides also being a parent. He has also taken this matter up on social media to garner opinion.

“The readmission charges are also too high; as per the gazette notification of Assam, in the beginning, there was a clause where it was clearly stated that re-admission fee should not exceed double the amount of tuition fee,” added Sureka.

After online classes, hike of fees and hundreds of schools being requisitioned as quarantined centres in the state, this new issue has hit indignant Guwahatians who have enrolled their children in private schools.

Parents across the city have raised concerns over schools charging tuition, transport and other fees despite schools being closed for students. Schools have allegedly been charging fees for infrastructure, sports, laboratories, computer classes, smart classes and a lot of other things that parents find unfair given the present scenario.

Sureka, along with a few other parents, plan to meet the chief minister, finance minister (who also happens to be the education minister) and the Governor in this regard. They plan to submit a memorandum to the government; their main issue of concern being negligible to no concession in the monthly fee structure by schools.

These parents have informed G Plus that they have requested almost all private schools in the city to charge only 50 percent

of bus or tuition fees till schools reopen and have also requested for the rest of the charges to be waived off. They have already submitted memorandums to Sarala Birla Gyan Jyoti, Sanskriti - The Gurukul, Royal Global School and Delhi Public School, Khanapara.

Some parents have joined hands and collectively drafted a common memorandum which has been e-mailed to private schools across the city.

“One or two schools have responded but the rest have not even responded. Some have given us vague responses; Delhi Public School, Khanapara has officially rejected it and Sanskriti - The Gurukul also has not agreed,” said Sanjay Sureka whose child happens to be a student enrolled in one of the city’s private schools.

“Schools must understand that this is not a normal situation; this is the time of a pandemic. It is clear that schools are not going to open for another 3 months at least. I don’t think even if schools reopen, any parent will be willing to send their child under the age of 12 or 10 to school given the present scenario of COVID-19.

Forcing parents to pay full fees despite schools being shut and without there being any clarity about when schools will open, is completely wrong,” said another parent, Anurag Bajaj on the issue.

An advisory issued by the Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (ASCPCR) had asked all deputy commissioners in the month of April to ensure that parents were not pressurised into paying monthly school fees, admission fees or any other fees till further instruction by the government of Assam.

To get the perspective of the schools, G Plus got in touch with the managements of the various schools. It was given to understand that the schools have operational costs that needed to be covered.

“We have given some kind of concession in the bus fee. School is not running for students but the teachers are conducting classes. The time may be less, about 4 to 5 classes in a day but it is very hectic for them because even they are new to online classes,” said a spokesperson of Sarla Birla Gyan Jyoti.

On transportation fees being charged by the school, the spokesperson said, “Buses are not running. So the fuel component we have not taken into account while taking the bus fee because there is maintenance cost, salary of staff and helpers.”

The school usually charges bus

fees amounting to Rs 7,500 on a quarterly basis and the school has provided Rs 1,800 discount to parents on the total fee charged for transportation.

“The existence of the school is still there. We come to school daily.

The teachers are coming daily. If tomorrow we receive a notification from the government asking schools to reopen in a day or two, then we have to ensure that the school is in a condition to be operational,” said an official from Sarala Birla Gyan Jyoti.

The responses of the Sanskriti – The Gurukul was more or less similar even as G Plus reached out to its principal, Ajanita Hazarika.

“We are an ICSE School. I have been in touch with Assam Valley School, Shiksha – The Gurukul and a few other CBSE schools and this was the consensus of all principals. When the official notice came from the government in April, we straight away waived off the said fees. What we do time and again is that we send some communiqué from the principal’s desk to all the parents. There must have been a misconception among parents to say that we have taken IT fees, STEM fees (Atal Tinkering Lab), or fees for science activities, workshops; nothing has been taken towards these,” said Ajanita Hazarika, principal of Sanskriti – The Gurukul.

“The pandemic is something which just came suddenly. In the month of April these fees were not taken, in the month of May these fees were not taken and it was also clearly stated that these fees will not be charged till these activities are operational. We also have a managing committee with representatives from among the parents. Ours is a day-boarding school where children are provided meals. So because they are not taking meals, 20 percent of the fees have already been brought down without anybody asking for it,” said the principal.

She went on to add that if any parent has a difficulty, the management of the school would understand the same and would be willing to discuss them over the table.

“Why we cannot waive off 50 percent of the fees is because exams will begin very soon. We are taking this amount also so that we can ensure the safety and well being of their children.

Internet photo (a representative image)

Parents:

Times are tough, no physical classes, no transportation requirements etc. Hence, there should be no fees or at least massive waivers.

Schools:

Maintenance costs, staff salaries, bus maintenance, sanitization readiness, exam expenditures, EMIs etc. Hence, fees are required.

We have to pay the drivers, guards, the handymen, helpers; we have EMIs on our buses. Our school has had the privilege of a new infrastructure with new ACs with EMIs due. In addition to all this, we are going to change our entire sanitization system; all that entails expenses.

Some schools might just keep sanitization bottles. We will completely change the entire system from pedal sanitizer to contact-free sanitization in the washrooms so that our children are absolutely safe!” said Ajanita Hazarika, highlighting the school’s initiative to prevent the spread of the infection among children once the school reopens.

Speaking exclusively to G Plus Binita Jain, Senior Coordinator and official spokesperson of Royal Global School, said that whatever total revenue a school gets from a child, it is the cumulative amount for many heads of expenses.

“Be it the tuition fee, the transport fee or any other fee paid in the name of license perhaps, or for various things which have been purchased by schools for the benefit of children; which regardless of whether they are being used presently, must be paid for,” said Binita Jain.

Jain added that out of the total revenue which is generated by a school, 60 to 70 percent of it

goes towards payment of staff salaries. “Speaking of our school, considering the vast area that we cover, the infrastructure that we have; maintenance of all this requires lot of manpower.

Irrespective of whether schools are open or not, we must pay them salaries because that is how they will survive the Pandemic,” said Jain.

Regarding collection of transport fee Jain said that only 15 percent of the same covers cost of fuel. However, the bus drivers and conductors must be paid salaries besides the upkeep and maintenance costs that continue being incurred. Besides these, the fixed cost for electricity is also huge given the size of the school.

The city’s private schools have chalked out plans to fight COVID-19.

From numbering seats in school buses to accommodating not more than 50 percent students in a classroom, everything will be done to combat the dreaded virus, ensured the schools.

Teachers will have to work extra hours; they will get fewer breaks and will have to constantly be on the run, taking extra classes due to addition of new sections in each batch of students.

It is pertinent to mention that G Plus had reached out to DPS Khanapara as well but could not elicit a response from the school’s management. n

6 City

| Jun 20 - Jun 26, 2020

Galwan Valley Face-Off:

Assam Chamber of Commerce urges traders to stop procuring Chinese products Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

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he clamor to boycott China-made products grew in the country following the killing of 20 Indian Army personnel by Chinese troops in a violent face-off in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley. As several ministers and organisations press for a ban on Chinese goods, the Assam Chamber of Commerce (ACC) too has made an appeal to its traders in Assam not to procure any Chinese products.

Condemning China for its military aggression, the president of ACC, Sanjive Naraine told G Plus, “From being the source of coronavirus to being responsible for our soldiers being martyred, China has caused immense trouble in our country. It’s time we hit them below the belt.”

He further added that there’s a global anger prevailing against China and the best way to fight China is to hit their economy.

“We have asked all the traders not to procure any Chinese goods. Because, when traders will not procure, definitely products will not be available in the market,” said Naraine.

However, since Chinese products have the biggest market in India, he said that the traders have been asked to first liquidate their stock instead of putting an immediate ban on the sale of Chinese goods.

“This move will give a boost to the Indian economy,” he said.

The appeal made by ACC in regard to Chinese products will definitely hit the market of such goods in the northeast as most of the supplies to other states in the region, goes through the state of Assam.

Seeing that all northeast states will be impacted by the move, Naraine said that once its implementation has been done in Assam, a discussion might take place with the trade associations of our neighboring states for further implementation of the same.

Speaking to G Plus about the concept of self-reliance, Naraine said, “India has proved that when the need arises, our citizens automatically learn to adapt to the changes. Within a short span of time, India produced its own PPE kits, masks and sanitizers rather than staying dependent on supplies from other countries.

Similarly, we can start productions for other goods as well.”

The bold step of banning

Members of Rashtriya Bajrang Dal registering their protest in Guwahati | G Plus photo Chinese products has already been taken by an electronics shop of Guwahati.

On Wednesday, June 17, Next Electronics announced that it has removed all Chinese brands from its showroom including Oppo, Vivo and TLC.

“We strongly condemn the incident that took place along the Line of Actual Control.

To show our support to the army-men and fulfill our social responsibility, we have stopped selling products of Chinese brands,” said Abhishek Soni,

the owner of Next Electronics.

Further, appealing to the citizens to go local, he said, “I urge all to promote Indian brands by actually purchasing them instead of just being vocal about them on social media platforms.”

India-China standoff: ‘Boycott Chinese Products’ trends on social media As the India-China standoff intensifies, social media is abuzz with netizens, influencers, celebrities and politicians calling for a complete ban on the use of Chinese products.

While #BoycottChina, #BoycottChineseProducts were among the trending hashtags on social media platforms like Twitter, other hashtags like #TeachLessonToChina and #ChinaGetOut also filled several

social media posts.

Netizens are also circulating memes to attack China amid the border clashes.

Some users shared the Winnie the Pooh meme to attack Chinese President Xi Jinping. The meme began in 2013 when former US President Barack Obama met

A shop demonstrating its stand on Chinese products | G Plus photo

Xi Jinping. A photo of the two leaders walking together prompted users to compare the two leaders with Pooh and Tiger walking together.

Others are sharing footages of throwing/breaking Chinese products to showcase their rage.

Twitterati also tagged Bollywood stars and urged them to stop promoting Chinese brands.

“I urge all the Bollywood celebrities who are promoting Chinese products, say no for the promotion if you are a real patriot,” wrote a Twitter user.

“China saying it doesn’t want clashes is like Karan Johar saying he doesn’t want nepotism,” wrote another user.

In The News

| Jun 20 - Jun 26, 2020

7

Covid-19 Update: Assam inches towards 5000-mark, death toll at 9 Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

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he total number of coronavirus cases in Assam is inching closer towards the 5000 mark.

Corona positive cases in Assam reached 4,904 on Thursday, June 18 with 210 persons testing positive for the deadly virus in a single day.

The total number of active cases in Assam as of June 18 stands at 2,044. While 2,848 persons have been cured and discharged, 9 deaths have been recorded till date in the state. Further, 3 persons

have migrated to other states.

The coronavirus death toll in Assam increased to nine with one patient succumbing at Diphu Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) of Karbi Anglong district on June 18.

According to the latest tally provided by the government of Assam’s official website on Covid-19, Kamrup (M) has recorded the highest number of positive cases in the state with 552 cases, followed by Dhubri (306 cases), Hojai (237 cases) and Golaghat (216 cases).

The South Salmara Mankachar district has recorded the least number of cases, i.e., 6.

Further, Sivasagar district of Assam currently has no active cases of coronavirus; all 26 patients have been cured and discharged.

With the increasing number of cases of coronavirus, the Assam government has increased its testing capacity.

Over 12,000 COVID-19 tests were conducted in Assam on Friday, June 19 alone. This was informed by state health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in a tweet.

“My salute to the Team for having covered over 12,000 more tests, taking our #COVID19 testing figures for today to 258797. It was 246,590 on June 18,” he tweeted.

Representative Image | G Plus photo

Jayanta Bora’s custodial death revives fears of the ‘secret killing’ era Kareng Phukan @guwahatiplus

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hile the people of Balijan were asleep, the peaceful night of 15th June reverberated with the dreadful screams of a 23 year old. “Ma, Ma...screamed the boy all along,” reported his neighbours.

Was the boy kidnapped?

No. He was picked up in a joint operation by the police and army.

Jayanta Bora, a 23-year-old degree student was picked up on the midnight of 15th June in a joint operation conducted by the Borholla Police Station under Jorhat district, and the 244 Field Regiment of the Indian Army. He was said to have connections with the ULFA-Independent and dealt in illegal weapons.

Bora was picked up while he was asleep and was forcefully taken away by the police and the army. Although his mother pleaded with the personnel saying that Jayanta would be reporting at the police station early morning, her pleas were brushed aside.

A heartbroken relative of the unlucky youth, speaking to G Plus said, “Jayanta was picked up by the police at about 12 am.

Before taking him, the personnel took his mother’s signature on three sheets of blank paper. Early morning we reached Borholla PS to see Jayanta. The officerin-charge, Mintu Handique, informed us that his health had deteriorated during the night.

So he was sent to Jorhat Medical College and Hospital. But before we could reach the hospital, we heard about Jayanta’s death in the morning news.”

Later that day, Borholla police took the dead boy’s body to his home to hand it over to his family. The boy was foaming at the mouth. His mother, Lila Bora, refused to take her son’s body without a proper investigation on his death. So the police kept the body in an ambulance where it lay by the roadside all night.

The Deputy Commissioner, along with other officials of the administration, went to Jayanta’s house to request his family to take custody of the body for the funeral rites.

Lila Bora has lodged a formal case against both the police and the army, seeking investigation into the matter. The case has been registered under section 302 (Punishment for murder), 120 B (Punishment for Criminal Conspiracy) and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

The family and villagers finally took custody of the body for the funeral rites when the state agriculture minister Atul Bora, Jorhat MP Tapan Kumar Gogoi and state PWD minister Jugen Mohan went over and urged them.

When Jayanta’s family requested the police for an insight into the incident, the latter informed that the army had first taken Jayanta away from them.

However, sources have

informed that the student was first tortured by the army. After more than one and a half hours of torture, Jayanta was handed over to Borholla police, where he was subjected to further torture.

Dark injury marks could be seen on the boy’s body, near his ear, on his private parts and other parts of the body.

The death of this Assamese youngster has been labelled as a murder by his family, well-wishers as well as the indigenous Assamese people. Many have also claimed it as a fresh episode of the much dreaded secret killings in the state - a repeat of the darkest history of Assam after 18 years.

Manoj Gogoi, leader of Assam Yuva Mancha, condemning the incident said, “Jayanta Bora’s murder has revealed the colonial regime of the state. Such murders of Assamese youth, by portraying them as ULFA members, are nothing new. We condemn such a heinous crime of the Indian army and demand the strictest punishment for all involved. Such acts cannot be the solution to the long years of unsolved issues between Assam and India. If the Centre continues with such acts then Assamese youth will be compelled to think of liberation.”

Ironically, Jayanta Bora’s father is a retired army personnel who

Video grab of the body of Jayanta Borah served in the Indian army for more than 17 years.

The deceased’s family has said that one of the family members had earlier videotaped a police officer taking a bribe, and published the same on social media and news channels.

The official was subsequently suspended. As such, the family alleged that the official might have been behind Jayanta’s killing for the sake of revenge.

Three police officials have already been suspended in this regard - Titabor Subdivisional Police Officer Amit Hojai (APS), Officer in-charge of Borholla police station, Mintu Handique (Sub-Inspector) and Bekajan Police outpost in-charge, Gopal Doley.

The question arises, how long will Assam’s youth be subjected to such custodial killings?

Indigenous people of the state are well aware of the special powers granted by the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) of 1958, as ordinary youth have remained victimised under this pretext since the 1990s. Thousands have been murdered on the suspicion of being terrorists. History also narrates the tales of many women who were raped in the state by the army, for being kin of ULFA members.

Will Jayanta Bora’s case be honestly investigated and reach its logical end? Or will it be, like many others, lost among the many such files?

8 Centre Spread

| Jun 20 - Jun 26, 2020

JANUARY

Rifa Deka @dekarifa

27 January: In the first month of the year, an agreement was signed between the government of India, the government of Assam and the feisty Bodo Groups.

This was done to redraw and rename the Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD) in Assam. This political bonanza put an end to a four-decade-old problem of

insurgency which put forth new challenges ahead for the government. Inclusion of villages adjoining the BTAD with a majority of tribal population and protecting rights of Bodos living outside the BTAD by their inclusion in the list of Scheduled Tribes of Assam at the earliest were among the challenges that lay ahead.

30 January: The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have spread to India with the first case of the novel coronavirus being detected in Kerala. Government

authorities had however already begun taking precautionary measures by then to ensure that the virus would not spread further.

2020 – A

CHALLE

2020 has been a tough year so far, fo new decade and From volcanic eruptions, wildfires d misfired lethal missiles, lynching, severe cyclonic storms, all the In India, a series of unfortunate eve after the

FEBRUARY 24-25 February: The celebrated visit of the US President Donald Trump to India! The nation’s ‘NAMASTE TRUMP’ saw a series of meetings despite visible tension between the countries. India was lauded for its rise as a prosperous nation and its outstanding achievements despite being a peaceful, tolerant and

free country. Finally some good news for India, the US president emphasised on his administration’s efforts to crack down on the terrorist organizations and militants operating from the Pakistan border. The visit ended with assertiveness despite disagreement between New Delhi and Washington over myriad issues.

APRIL

MARCH 22 March: With the number of coronavirus cases across the world on the rise, and with thousands of lives lost to the dreaded virus, India observed the JANTA CURFEW

on 22nd March. A 14-hour lockdown was announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a ‘litmus test’ with possibility of a future lockdown.

23 March: Following this, on 25th March, a 21-day long lockdown was announced to curb the spread of the virus nationwide.

This lockdown, beyond April 14.

however,

continued

Unlocking the way forward: Midway into this year, the nation entered its fifth phase of the nationwide lockdown, termed as ‘UNLOCK 1.0.’

Restaurants, malls, salons, places of worship - the government announced relaxations everywhere to help people get back to their normal lives. Air travel opened up for domestic passengers with people finally heading home after being stranded outside for a prolonged period.

With the Unlock 1.0 and relaxations in place, despite a spike in growing number of coronavirus cases, a huge awareness has been created on the idea of social distancing as an important tool to combat the dreaded disease.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his meeting with chief ministers of states on June 17, ruled out the possibility of another lockdown and directed that all governments find ways of opening further. This brings to end all speculations about further lockdown directives within the country from the central government.

14 April: This was the day the 21day lockdown was supposed to have ended. But in view of public safety and 29 April: One of Bollywood’s most beloved actors, Irrfan Khan, passed away on 29th April 2020 at the age of 53.

He died due to neuroendocrine tumour, a type of cancer.

He was diagnosed with the disease in March 2018. He also visited the United Kingdom for treatment and had returned 30 April: Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor passed away in Mumbai on 30th April at the age of 67. The actor was admitted to the Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital. Kapoor was diagnosed with cancer in 2018 but he died of ill-health.

Rishi Kapoor entered Indian cinema

Centre Spread

| Jun 20 - Jun 26, 2020

A YEAR OF

ENGES

or each one of us. 6 months into the we’ve seen it all! destroying cities, off-season floods, economic slump, political drama, way to the Novel Coronavirus! ents have continued to unfold, one e other.

a continuous rise in COVID-19 positive cases, the lockdown was extended till 3rd May. to India in 2019. Irfaan Khan’s last movie was ‘Angrezi Medium.’ His most famous films include the Academy Awardnominated Salaam Bombay!, Maqbool (2004), Paan Singh Tomar (2011), The Lunchbox (2013), Haider (2014), Gunday (2014), Piku (2015) Talvar (2015) and Hindi Medium (2017). with his first film ‘Mera Naam Joker’ as a child artist. The actor received a National Award for this role. Kapoor’s last Bollywood film was the 2018 film ‘102 Not Out’ alongside Amitabh Bachchan. He was last seen in the web series ‘The Body’ on Netflix.

MAY 03 May: The lockdown 2.0 was followed by another extension of two more weeks, till 17th May. The country was divided into coloured zones based on seriousness and

numbers of Covid-19 cases. Post this third phase; a Lockdown 4.0 from 18th May gave people some respite with relaxations which continued till the end of the month.

06 May: Most wanted terrorist, Riyaz Naikoo, was killed in an encounter along with two of his associates by a joint team of security forces in Kashmir’s Pulwama

district. Naikoo had taken over as chief of the Guerrilla group, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, after its Kashmir outfit’s commander Burhan Wani was killed in 2016.

07 May: This month saw a major disaster in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizag, where several people lost their lives due to a gas leak at the LG Polymers chemical plant. Many were found unconscious on the streets while some faced problems in breathing,

had burning sensation in their eyes and complained of rashes on their bodies. The total number of people who had fallen sick due to the reported gas leak was estimated to be well over 1,000.

20 May: The super cyclonic storm, AMPHAN, caused massive destruction as it made landfall on the east coast of India.

The storm uprooted trees, destroyed homes, disrupted the network as over four lakh people were forced to evacuate

for their own safety. Causing over US$13 billion worth of damage, Amphan was the costliest cyclone ever recorded to the north of Indian Ocean. The first tropical cyclone of the year caused significant destruction in India as well as Bangladesh.

27 May: On this day, a huge explosion was reported at Tinsukia’s Baghjan Oil Field and since then natural gas has been ‘uncontrollably’ flowing out of the Baghjan Oil well in Assam. Villages had to be evacuated, and the incident threw the fragile ecosystem of the area off-balance

killing a variety of species of fish along with the endangered Gangetic Dolphin.

A team of experts from Singapore arrived on June 7 to bring the situation under control. Another explosion occurred at the Oil Field in Tinsukia on June 9 when two deaths were reported from the blast site.

Last week of May: India saw the worst locust attack in 26 years. Swarms of locusts attacked the agricultural fields of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. A warning was issued to all states. Locust attacks damaged

hundreds and thousands of hectares of crop lands. Plagued by an economic slowdown and the COVID-19 lockdown, India was already on the edge and a locust attack was the last thing that was expected to throw the government’s plans off-balance.

JUNE 01 June: Wajid Khan, of the music composing duo Sajid-Wajid, died of COVID-19 at 42.

The music composer, who had multiple health issues, had recently undergone a kidney transplant. He was on ventilator for

four days prior to his death after which his condition began to deteriorate.

The composer made his contribution in music for various blockbusters in Bollywood and judged various singing reality shows

14 June: : Bollywood and TV actor Sushant Singh Rajput committed suicide at his home in Mumbai on June 14, at the age of 34. Post his death, the country saw a wave of activism raising mental health issues.

Rajput was one of the ace actors from Bollywood with many award winning movies to his credit. His 2016 released ‘M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story,’ based on cricketer MS Dhoni was a blockbuster.

9

10 G Talk

| Jun 20 - Jun 26, 2020

Tourism Economics: Nepotism in Bollywood Not just Wanderlust E

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ny dictionary would give the meaning of the word “Nepotism” as a practice by which people with power or influence show favouritism towards relatives, especially by ensuring them a means of livelihood. While this is a normal human trait – more so in India where it prevails in almost every field of work – the word is never used in a good light and is often associated with inferior people having an advantage over more deserving ones when it comes to situations of gainful employment.

Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide has raked the word up again to the effect that Bollywood has come across as a wheeling-dealing world controlled by powerful families who have been in their dominant positions and keen to retain that control at any cost. Oozing with talent and looks and having tasted a measure of success, it seems Rajput - the “outsider” - had become a perceived threat to star kids and so, a matter of concern to the star parents.

Now, there is no denying the fact that Bollywood is an industry with cut throat competition simply because the stakes are huge and so are the spoils. To be successful in Bollywood entails massive hard work coupled with massive compromises. Each successful actor has perhaps

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been through travails that account for their personal journey up the ladder even as the glamour-struck world only sees the same superficially.

While Rajput’s death by suicide is a matter of great sadness and regret, targeting nepotism as the cause might not be prudent. After all, every parent has the right and the duty to ensure that his or her children are provided the best life possible. Amitabh Bachchan had famously once said that he would do everything within his ambit to prop up his son Abhishek.

This is not something new in Bollywood and star kids have been getting impressive kick-starts to their acting careers for as long as one can remember.

But nepotism in Bollywood stops at the casting stage.

Acceptance of an actor by his or her audience is a totally different ball-game where nepotism doesn’t work at all. Examples are galore that the biggest of launches by powerful dads have actually made the star kid come a cropper at the box office.

Any outsider seeking to make a career in Bollywood needs to be well aware of this. May Rajput’s soul rest in eternal peace...

Swapnil Bharali (Editor) @swapnilbharali

Try and ‘Boycott China’ Bharat: Hey, did you hear the news about the Indo-China standoff?

Tarkik: Yeah man. Pretty sad. I feel bad for the lives lost.

Bharat: On our side or theirs?

Tarkik: Well, both. But still, I feel horrible about our soldiers dying.

Bharat: Hmm. You’d have been in trouble if you would’ve responded otherwise. In any case, I have found a solution now. With Covid and this sensitive border issue, I feel shareer aur desh ka ek hi upai hain!

Tarkik: Yeah? What’s that?

Bharat: Cheeni Bandh!

Tarkik: Haha. Well I don’t know how successful you’d be in doing that, but good luck.

Bharat: No bro. I’m serious. I destroyed my phone once I heard about the “Boycott China” movement! I’m in for this.

Tarkik: Well, didn’t you buy it already? Did you not already invest ‘your money’? It’s not like you were refunded for the phone.

Bharat: Ou! Right! I guess I got carried away.

Tarkik: Maybe you can avoid purchasing new products which are “Made in China” if you’re really serious about this.

Bharat: Yeah I am. *flips out his new phone* Tarkik: I thought you destroyed your phone?

Bharat: Yes, this is a new one. I got the all new iPhone XR – all American. Not one of those Oppo, Vivo stuff that you use.

Tarkik: Well, although an American brand, you know that iPhones are assembled in China?

Bharat: What the hell!

Tarkik: And also a lot of your refrigerators, air conditioners, automobile parts come from China. And this does not even begin to dent the list. Also, half the programmers, designers on the apps you use are from, well, “you know where.” In fact, blood sugar pills also come from there. Need I go on about the futility of this movement?

Sidharth Bedi Varma

@sid_bv

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ravel is not only about scenic delights but also about experiences – human, communal, cultural, ecological and even spiritual. It is about being in the ‘unfamiliar’, letting the mind wander in the lanes of natural and man-made surroundings. It is about interacting with people, understanding them, building bonds and creating what we know today as ‘global village’.

Sadly, in this Covid-19 world we are all living, the travel industry has taken the roughest fall. It is, no doubt, a no-brainer; but what is being ignored is that since the industry revolves around keeping tourists happy and equipped with whatever they need during their time away from home. It has close connection to the hospitality industry, the transport industry, the food and beverages industry, the entertainment industry and more. One fall thus has had a domino effect, one which will continue to keep down the economy unless we pull up our socks.

In our twenty-first century world, travel is not a luxury of the affluent; it is a way of life.

Which is why, tourism is not merely about international or high net worth Indians and their high value spending; it is also about wanderlust-filled youth, middle-class, and even lowincome families whose spending are volume-heavy and worthy for the economy.

Therefore, for those who think that a swift restart of the tourism sector in the country should be last on the list of public policy priorities, I say that we dare not miss the woods for the trees.

We must, in fact, take the ‘travel bubble’ leaf out of New ZealandAustralia’s book – both of which, after slowing the spread of Covid-19, have given primacy to reopening their borders and introducing ‘safe tourism’ between the two nations.

Speaking from personal experience as an industry professional in the northeast

for donkey’s years now, I know how significant each cog in the tourism wheel is, especially in northeast India where the sector is valued because of the communities it supports and how it honours Incredible India’s ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’mantra. I know of several tourists who, to this day, keep in touch with their tour guides, tourist drivers and other travel industry professionals with whom they would have bonded with during their trip. I also say with great pride that 99 per cent of our industry professionals are invariably marked ‘Excellent’ on Feedback Score Sheets. Such is the 24-carat worth of the tourism industry here; besides, of course, the fact that it fuels and grows many other areas of the region’s economy.

Northeast India’s tourism sector is about the holistic experience that we offer. It is about an ‘awesome’ experience of our land, culture and cuisine and, most significantly, interactions with professionals whose best efforts make a tourist’s visit memorable. It is about the chauffeur-guide who escorts the tourist, the vegetable and the meat sellers who provide ingredients for their khana, the mahout who takes them on the elephant safari, Jeep drivers for game-viewing, the chef who cooks up the perfect meal, the hospitality executive whose smile and warmth makes the tourist feel at home, the amateur birdwatcher who enlightens on an endangered species, the crafts person whose handicrafts and handlooms become the dazzling souvenirs to carry home – and so much more that cannot be listed here. It is how we hold up to the world the best of the best image of an Incredible India, and a more Incredible Northeast.

Today, as lockdowns are being lifted and countries are reopening intra-travel, we can at least begin to prepare for the ‘new normal’.

Our marketing efforts can be on communicating the safety of our tours. Our pricing can focus on

rBrutality towards animals

O pinion Arijit Purkayastha

domestic travellers. Our emphasis can be on short local tours and road trips – at least until the fear of using other modes of transport dissipates.

The cooperative AustraliaNew Zealand ‘travel bubble’ plan expects to go a long way in the economic recovery of the two nations in the post-Covid world.

For India’s Northeast too, the essence of the plan can be our shepherd. The region’s tourism industry, with the proactive support of respective state governments in terms of policy and finance, can start promoting its own ‘zonal travel bubble’. And, it is only one of many more such recovery plans that hold promise for leveraging tourism rupee to support industry professionals and dependent communities.

Our region is a treasure trove of sights, trails and stories – all of which are hidden along known and unknown paths.

With 2020 set to pass as the year of ‘staycation’ and ‘near-cation’, travel could be confined to what many will think, like I did decades ago during my Barapani trip, in the backyard. Take for example two little-known treasures that await discovery in Assam itself – the bell-metal craft village of Sarthebari and the Hargilla Army village of Dadara, where women sing and weave to conserve the endangered Greater Adjutant Stork. It is a beginning on good wheels, an idea for repairing our world.

The tourism industry needs to survive. Ideas are aplenty. What will finally work though is clarity of policy and a hard core financial package – both of which need to be initiated by the government.

[The author is the Chapter Chairman of North East, Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI)]

Letter to the Editor

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hile I was scrolling through Instagram feeds, I saw a video which shook me. We know that many people love animals and keep our pets as our own children, but this doesn’t change the harsh fact that there are some animal haters too who think that animals are just things towards which they can be brutal. They laugh by torturing these animals and making video to upload on social media. In this particular video that I saw yesterday, two men were continuously stamping on a little kitten. The kitten was crying but they kept on at it. A time came when the hind legs of the kitten were broken they didn’t stop. They were laughing and one of them was saying, “Kill it, kill it.” The video ended few seconds later. I want to ask, should they not be behind the bars for this? Will these animal haters never stop hurting, torturing and killing these innocent animals? I would like to ask the concerned department of the government to take strict action. Such acts of brutality to animals must not be tolerated at all. Animals are more human than humans.

Neha Singh, Tezpur

In Focus

| Jun 20 - Jun 26, 2020

11

Is BJP adopting Akela Chalo Niti in Assam for 2021 polls?

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s the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) planning to adopt an `Akela Chalo Niti’ (Go it alone) for the 2021 assembly elections in the state? If the initial indications are anything to go by then it looks like saffron camp is treading this path.

In the Jansamwad rally (public contact rally) that was kicked off on June 16 in Assam, it was planned that two BJP workers would visit every home in every assembly segment.

Incidentally, the public contact rally was launched by BJP president Ranjit Dass from Gauhati West constituency, which is the seat of its major ally in the state, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).

The Jansamwad rally has been designed by the central leadership of the saffron brigade as a template for campaigning in states where elections are due next year. Under this rally BJP workers will meet around 50 lakh families in each state to apprise them of the good work done by the governments of the party at Centre as well as in the state.

To start off an election campaign from the voters’ base of a partner has not been done without a reason by the state leadership. It is a political message that the party is sending

out to allies in order to achieve 100+ seats in 2021 as also that it can go to any length which may well mean ditching its allies.

The planned schedule of the rally throws up some startling facts. In the 29 constituencies selected by the party to launch the rally by its state leadership, as many as 11 constituencies belong to its allies - AGP and Bodo Peoples Front (BPF).

For instance, in the Barhampur constituency represented by former chief minister Prafulla Mahanta of AGP, the BJP has planned to launch the public contact rally by one its leaders from this assembly segment.

Similar is the case with Tezpur, Gauhati West, Kamalpur, Patharkuchi and Bongaigaon.

It is important to mention here that during the anti-CAA protests, Mahanta had targeted the BJP government in the state.

In similar manner, the saffron camp will launch many such contact rallies from the bases of its ally, BPF. BJP strongman Himanta Biswa Sarma was supposed to launch the campaign from Tamulpur which is now represented by a BPF MLA. Public contact programme will be also launched from the constituency of Pramila Rani Brahma in Kokrajhar; Brahma is a minister

BJP state president Ranjit Dass (with Gamocha) launching the Jansamwad Rally in Gauhati West constituency in the ruling BJP government in the state.

In fact, the relationship of BJP with BPF is not rosy as of now.

The imposition of Governor’s Rule in Bodoland Territorial Areas District (BTAD) after the tenure of the council expired and the postponement of elections due

to the COVID 19 pandemic have somehow soured the relationship between the political partners.

BPF has already hinted that it can walk out of the alliance any time if its demands are not given due consideration.

On the other hand, with consolidation of ties between

Congress and AIUDF, which looks possible, the BPF leadership may well think otherwise.

So, with all these public rallies in its partner constituencies, it appears that the saffron camp wants to send the signal that it is ready to fight the election battle alone.

The death by suicide of much admired actor Sushant Singh Rajput triggered huge reactions on the digitals channels of G Plus. Some reactions are given here: Barsha Nath

K Mimi

Kiara Jonas

Nasreen Ahmed

Maybe he was going through a mental breakdown. Maybe he didn’t talk to anyone about his mental health. This lockdown is a curse for everyone.

If you survive you survive. If not, can’t say! My heart is heavy seeing these people just going away. He was such a fine actor. Bollywood has just lost a gem.

Unfollow Alia, Salman, Sonam, Kareena and others on social media. These people and somewhere their silly jokes took someone’s life. Believe it or not, it created a big impact on his life and how these dirty jokes can have on some mental health where that person see suicide as the only option to end all sufferings and pain. What is worst is that these people didn’t even attend his funeral.

Htet Htet Wai

Salman khan is one of the Mafia ruling Bollywood. Karan Johar too a part of this whole gang. Justice should have been given to Sushant when he was alive.

Still it’s now high time to react. Many more lives that are still going through such traumatic times should be given justice ahead so that no one else takes his or her life.

7 of his films were gone in a span of 6 months. Who has the power to do this? You cannot play God and promote your own children and boycott the outsiders.

Well only thing I disagree with, going against Ekta Kapoor, as she was the one to give him his first break and I don’t think she wouldn’t want him to be successful. The main irony is SRK made it big but he came from TV background just the same as SSR. He could have stood up for him during his hard times.

It’s not a suicide but a planned murder. Something is very fishy in this entire case. He cannot do it nor has proper proof come out about the suicide like the CCTV being off, no finger prints. He enjoyed with friends and it was a very much normal morning. Also in the entire story this has come out that Rhea Chakraborty left him as Bhatt had told her to do so. This means that Bhatt already knew that something was going to happen. Looking at all the past videos and interviews, it’s very clear that this guy cannot commit suicide.

12 Lifestyle

| Jun 20 - Jun 26, 2020

Transfer blues and Vaastu T hose, who are working for others, will have to face transfer in job from one place to another or from one department to another with or with our promotion. The employer does this because the nature of the job demands a better or more suitable person at some place. Sometimes it is done to avoid complacency or someone getting too familiar in the job so that he/she becomes incompetent in other areas.

Promotion also demands a change of workplace.

But whether the job is government or private, in both places the problem of transfer is like a sword on their heads.

Shifting from one place to another, pack your stuff, look for a house in the new place, repack; all these become a pain. Frequent transfers keep one away from home and family. It becomes a headache.

The Vaastu Dosha of the house is sometimes responsible for frequent transfers and change of jobs. So, one should check whether the Vaastu defect is the reason behind the transfer. Here are a few things to be kept in mind!

Vaastu defects in the Northwest direction plays a big role in keeping one away from home. The energy of the northwest, which is the Vayavya angle, is very unstable and it does not allow anyone/anything to

settle

there permanently. If you do not want to go away from home, then make sure that there is no serious Vaastu Dosha such as water tanks, borings, low floors, basements in the Vayavya direction. If there is any defect, then immediately get rid of it or opt for the remedies.

If a person’s bedroom is in the Vayavya, Ishaan (Northeast or Southeast (Agni Kone), then he gets more obstacles in getting posting near the house.

Such people should sleep in the south, west or southwest (Nairuthi Kone) rooms.

If there is a gate, attached toilet, store or balcony in

the Vayavya direction of the bedroom, an earthen pot should be placed in it. This will strengthen the earth element and there will be immediate benefit in the transfer problem.

If the head of the house has to stay away from home, then along with Vaastu defects of northwest direction, the Nairuthi kone or southwest has to be checked for defects.

In such a situation, it is more auspicious to make the southwest higher and heavier. If there is any window or door in this direction, keep it closed and place a high iron angle at the roof in the Southwest with a flag or white bulb on it.

If the eldest son of a household lives away from home, then along with the northwest, the northeast may also be having defects.

To remove this defect, keep the northeast corner as light as possible, low, clean and open. He will get posted near home very soon!

If the lady of the house is in a government job and her

posting is away from her house, then it is apparent that along with the defects at northwest, there may be Vaastu defects at southeast also. There should not be any shade of a tall tree falling on the house.

If the daughter has to stay out of the house, then along with Northwest, the north direction has to be checked. If there is a water tank, boring or fountain in the north, then it is very auspicious.

If the west direction is having more vacant space along with the northwest of a house, then there is a difficulty in the progress of the child. But progress of such people is there

Detoxification and its benefits

W

e should always try to find opportunity to give our body a break.

Taking steps to detox our body is a chance to clean out our gastrointestinal (GI) tract and give your body the nutrients it needs to thrive.

What is Detoxification?

Detoxification is the process of cleansing our body from chemicals, waste, toxins, and harmful substances. Our body has its own internal detoxification system through our liver, kidneys, colon, skin, lungs and lymph glands.

However, when our body becomes overloaded with toxic substances, such as from pollution, a poor diet of fast food, alcohol, medications, illness and stress, it needs help in rebooting so it can function optimally again.

Actually it is the process through which our body can breathe.

Unlike popular belief, detoxification is not about weight loss alone. It’s mainly about helping and supporting your body to get rid of all the waste through

proper dietary choices. It is beneficial for one and all.

Who needs to detox their body?

Anyone who is suffering from unexplained fatigue, dull skin and hair, allergies, tired and puffy eyes, menstrual irregularities, and feelings of anxiety and depression.

This also includes people suffering from constipation as it’s likely to be a result of harmful toxins lingering in our body, preventing the absorption of essential nutrients – and when this happens our immune system will not fight bacteria efficiently resulting in colds and flu most often.

Benefits of detox:

• Removes toxins from the body • Improves digestive health: The digestive system is one of the most critical areas of the body; it is where nutrients from the food we consume are absorbed, keeping our body functioning as it should • Mindfulness • Increase in energy • Control food cravings

• Micronutrient bonus

What to consume to detox the body?

While planning our detox diet we should remember that the food we will consume during this time must be light as well as healthy. This diet usually serves many of the purposes like providing essential nutrients to our body, hydrating our body and discharging toxins from our body.

1. Natural Detox Waters:

• Lemon water consumed with black salt immediately improves digestion, cleanses your liver and maintains PH levels of the body.

• Coconut water has composition that mimics our plasma and helps clear out impurities from blood.

• Water infused with cinnamon sticks overnight.

• Water infused with cumin seeds, coriander seeds, ajwain and fennel seeds overnight.

• Water infused with 1 inch ginger, slices of orange, mint/tulsi leaves.

2. Smoothies: • Green Smoothie: Grind cucumber, parsely, celery, pineapple and chia seeds together and have it replacing your breakfast.

• Green Juice: Grind kale, spinach, broccoli, mint leaves, apple/pineapple.

• Mango Smoothie: Grind 1 mango with almonds.

• Apple Date Smoothie: Grind 1 apple, 2-3 dates, water and mint.

• Orange Banana Smoothie: Grind banana and orange or strawberry and banana with 1 tbsp

Hemanta Kumar Sarmah

Engineer, Businessman, Advanced Pranic Healer and Su Jok Acupressure specialist.

when they move away from home. If the west direction is more open or lower, then measures should be taken to counter the defects.

Sometimes, a senior person or superior in the organization takes vengeance and gives a punishment posting to someone. A defective east is responsible for this. It becomes necessary to remove the Vaastu defects of east along with the northwest direction. If the east side of the house is high, blocked or heavy, then there is a interruption in job, reputation and promotion and posting is done against desire.

Those people who are posted away from home and want to come home quickly, they should keep their luggage in the Northwest corner of the temporary residence and some of the luggage in the Southwest corner of their permanent residence or home.

Sohini Chakraborty Chatterjee

of yogurt and ice cubes.

3. Soups: You can consume soups like Asparagus soup, Lemon and Coriander Soup, Beetroot and carrot soup, Tomato and carrot soup, Zucchini and broccoli soup, Green moong soup, Spinach and carrot soup, Egg soup, Corn soup or others.

4. Salads: You can have salad like Sprouts salad, Moong salad or Green salad.

You can also replace deep fried food with healthier options like replacing aloo paratha with moong chilla, pakodas with makhanas, maida pancakes with oats. Along with these we must remember and follow certain things like limiting alcohol, avoid smoking, good adequate sleep and proper hydration.

Once a month we must try doing a complete detox by replacing our meals with smoothies, soups, salads, chillas and infused water.

Making the most of this precious time by cleansing our body is really a great deal towards our healthy selves.

Feature

| Jun 20 - Jun 26, 2020

13

Let’s talk Depression A

life was lost to suicide and has taken the entire country by shock. He is not the first, and unfortunately, not the last one to succumb either. While there could be lot many reasons contributing for an individual to take such a drastic step, we often find the roots in psychological disorders like depression.

Having said that, it is important to understand what depression means since it is a widely used and equally misunderstood term. On a daily basis we hear a homemaker say she is “depressed” because the domestic helper did not turn up, or an employee saying he/she is “depressed” because the monthly target doesn’t seem achievable; to the extent where a school going child says exam pressure is making him/her feel “depressed.”

The term depression, which actually signifies a clinical problem, is interchangeably used for a bad mood on most of the occasions which reflects lack of awareness in a large section of our society.

World Health Organization (WHO) had predicted that depression will turn into second highest cause of death, outnumbering heart attack and diabetes, by 2020, and the present scenario is hinting at the forecast coming true. Among the developing countries, we as a nation still have a lot to achieve in terms of mental health hygiene.

It starts with creating awareness among general population regarding mental health, helping them overcome the stigma attached to it. Making them realize mental health issue like depression is a real problem just like any other physical ailment, say cancer or paralysis, which needs proper course of treatment by a trained professional.

Due to lack of knowledge and awareness towards this mental illness, the symptoms of depression might go unnoticed.

There are couple of warning signs to watch out for if they prolong and persist for two weeks or more.

A feeling of hopelessness and helplessness about one’s own life is one of the common as well as early symptoms of major clinical depression. It affects the way he/she feels about his/her life in general. These beliefs are also backed by feelings of worthlessness, selfhate, or inappropriate guilt at times. They gradually adopt a bleak outlook towards life events developing a perception of nothing will ever get better and there is nothing one can

Dr. Shambhavi Samir Alve may show symptoms like irritability, risky behaviour, substance abuse, or displaced anger.

Moreover, our culture expects men to put up a strong face in every situation and this could be a possible reason for them being less likely to acknowledge and seek treatment for depression, than women.

Artist: Kalyani Adhikary | Caption: So sick of pretending

do to improve his/her situation.

Commonly they word these feeling like “It is all my fault,” or “What is the point?”

They display loss of interest in activities which were previously enjoyed. Depression can take the pleasure or joy away from what they loved —hobbies, sports, socializing or going out with friends. They also start avoiding social interactions and prefer being in isolation all by themselves.

Another area where one may lose interest is intimacy; symptoms of major depression include decreased sex drive and even impotency.

One of the reasons they might stop doing things they enjoyed is because of low energy.

Depression often comes with lack of energy and an overwhelming feeling of fatigue. This could result in excessive sleeping, or simply refusing to come out of bed for long hours.

However, depression is also linked with insomnia – inability to

World Health Organization (WHO) had predicted that depression will turn into the second highest cause of death, outnumbering heart attack and diabetes, by 2020, and the present scenario is hinting at the forecast coming true. fall asleep. Depression and sleep disturbance can make each other worse. Moreover, lack of quality sleep can also take a form of anxiety.

Changes in appetite and weight are few of the other signs to watch out for in people suffering with depression. This experience may be different for each person.

Some people will have an increased appetite and weight gain, while some others might not feel hungry and will lose weight. However, relation between this

shift in appetite and depression will be based on whether it is intentional or not. Only if they’re not deliberate, it may have a connection with depression.

Mood swings accompanied by anxiety is also an important cue of clinical depression.

One minute they might show an outburst of anger while the next moment they might be crying uncontrollably without any external trigger. While depression hasn’t been shown to cause anxiety or viceversa, the two conditions often occur together.

Symptoms of anxiety can include: nervousness, restlessness, feeling tensed, rapid heart rate, rapid breathing increased, heavy sweating, trembling or muscle twitching, and, trouble focusing or thinking clearly about anything other than the thing they are worried about.

Research has shown that, depression can affect genders differently; men suffering from depression

Individuals suffering from clinical depression have a strong feeling that their mental battles have no end. Thinking and looking at death, then, seems as the only possible escape from life problems. They might often express this feeling of meaninglessness in a desire to die. This also puts them at a higher risk of self-harm or attempting suicide.

They complain of body aches and pain quite often which may not have a physical cause necessarily.

On a concluding note, it is important to know that depression is a serious mental illness which isn’t age/gender/ region/religion specific. Every individual is at equal risk of developing the illness at any point in life. However, being aware of the symptoms and the importance of seeking professional help can help them overcome the problem.

There are various interventions available, from lifestyle changes to medications, from counselling to psychotherapies. No matter which path of treatment they choose, asking for professional help is the first step towards getting back to feeling better and enjoying life again. Every small initiative as a community or even at an individual level can bring a big difference and help our country become a depressionless society.

(The author is a Ph.D. Psychology, MBA-HR and Developmental Psychologist, Clinical hypnotherapist, and Arts Based Therapy Practitioner.

Views expressed in the article are her own. She can be reached at dr.shambhavisamir@gmail.com)

14 Guest Column

| Jun 20 - Jun 26, 2020

Capitalism and War:

An India-China Approach T he last few months have been tense for the world and especially India due to the recent pandemic, Covid-19 or the Corona virus. Adding to this, the clash between the Indian Army and People’s Liberation Army of China in the border of Ladakh valley has created more difficulty for the Indian government. With

Mahatma Gandhi’s Swadeshi Movement was the first AtmaNirbhar movement of India.

Time has changed and in a globalised world, it is not practical to boycott a company’s product.

If the government really wants to be Self-Reliant or AtmaNirbhar as popularised, the first step has to come from the government itself. diplomatic talks on the table, the officials are trying to resolve the matter peacefully but the meetings are bearing no fruit till the date. Meanwhile, there has been a trend in India to boycott Chinese products by Indians in order to allegedly teach China a lesson. Various business organisations are requesting people not to use Chinese products as well as throw away appliances which are made in China. This is similar to the Swadeshi Movement which was started

Saurav Jhunjhunwala

Internet photo

by Mahatma Gandhi during the British rule in India. That was the first AtmaNirbhar movement of India. Time has changed and in a globalised world, it is not practical to boycott a company’s product. If also, the government really wants to be Self-Reliant or AtmaNirbhar as popularised, the first step has to come from the government itself. The rule is to attack in macro terms and not micro terms. The economic warfare has started but this has been started by individuals and is rather temporary in nature. Here, India has a golden opportunity to be the real AtmaNirbhar but the issue is, “Can the government do it?”

The Swadeshi Jagran Manch, affiliate of Rastriya Swayamsewak Sangh has urged the government to ban Chinese firms from the tender process. This is the first step

which will help the government from draining Indian currency to China as well as a step at the macro level. Recently, the DelhiMeerut Regional Rapid Transit System tender was awarded to the Chinese firm, Sanghai Tunnel Engineering Company. There were Indian bidders too but the tender was awarded to the Chinese company. Also, in this year only the Chinese company Great Wall signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Maharashtra government and aims to infuse Rs 7,600 crores through a plant for producing UV and SUV cars.

Recently, educator Simon Wangchuk urged people to fight against the Chinese government through their wallets by uninstalling all the Chinese applications or software installed in their phones. In the next

one year, the rule of Chinese hardware should be minimised as far as possible. But it must be known that Indian applications such as Oyo, PayTM and many others whose founders are Indians are receiving funding from the Chinese companies. Out of the total smart phones market in India 72 percent is with China.

Uninstalling applications from mobile phones will minimize the funds for China, but that will be just the tip of the iceberg.

There has to be substitutes to Chinese products in India which are currently missing. The infrastructural and research and development backwardness in India has to be plugged; development has to be initiated and this is not an overnight process.

If a country is ready for war with another country, the two

countries should be independent of each other. If two countries are dependent on each other by any means such as economically or politically, waging a war is not at all a viable option. In the case of India and China, India is, to a large extent, dependent on China’s money. If the money is withdrawn unilaterally by any of the countries, the India economy will collapse overnight and negative effects will also be borne by the Chinese. The present government which is economydriven will never let this happen as the economics of politics will also hamper to a large scale if this is allowed to happen.

The two concepts are different today: geo-politics and economic affairs. Due to geo-politics the economy of the country will have to suffer if there is a war between the two countries. Geopolitics on one hand comes under the government while economic affairs are in the hands of traders and business organisations. The two should not overlap each other. At the present time, a war is not at all the possible option for India. A party which was known to be capitalist in nature will hesitate to wage a war against a country as the government is surrounded by the economics of waging a war and also money pumped in by the rival country.

The two countries have reframed the rules of dependence on each other and should move ahead with peace.

(The Author is a Law Graduate from National Law University and Judicial Academy, Assam and pursuing Masters of Law from Gujarat Law University, Gandhinagar. He can be reached at jhunjhunwala09@gmail.com. The views expressed in the article are his own.)

Weather report for the week Guwahati

SUN

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

T-Storms

T-Storms

T-Storms

T-Storms

T-Storms

T-Storms

32°26° C

31°26° C

32°26° C

30°26° C

29°25° C

29°25° C

SATURDAY

T-Storms

31°-26° C

News This Week

| Jun 20 - Jun 26, 2020

A quick round up of the news that mattered during the past week

1

Three Assam Universities to admit students for higher secondary classes

The Assam government has directed three universities of the state to accept students in Higher Secondary level for the current year. Bhattadev University of Barpeta, Rabindranath Tagore University of Hojai and Madhavdev Unversity of North Lakhimpur have been instructed by the state government to admit students of Class XI for this year.

In a tweet, Himanta Biswa Sarma informed that the step was taken due to the COVID-19 situation prevailing in the state.

2

BJP-led Manipur govt set to be dissolved, Congress prepares to stake claim

With nine MLAs in Manipur, including the deputy chief minister, announcing their decision to withdraw support from the current BJP-led coalition government on June 17, the ruling party is likely to dissolve its government. Four legislators from the National People’s Party (NPP) including three ministers - Health and Family Welfare Minister L Jayantakumar Singh, deputy chief minister Yumnam Joykumar Singh, YAS minister Letpao Haokip and tribal affairs minister N Kayisii have withdrawn their support to the BJP-led government. Meanwhile, the lone independent MLA from Jiribam and Trinamool Congress MLA has also extended support to the Congress. Further, with the latest three resignations, the BJP and its allies are left with 23 MLAs and Congress has 29.Tamil Nadu with 38,716 cases.

3

Delhi health minister’s condition worsens, moved to another COVID-19 hospital

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain’s condition deteriorated informed officials. On June 17 Jain had tweeted that he has tested positive for the coronavirus. He was admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH) on June 16 after he developed high fever and his oxygen saturation levels dropped. He is now shifted to another hospital in Delhi, officials said. Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) legislator Atishi and two other leaders of the party also tested positive.

Further Akshay Marathe, advisor to CM Arvind Kejriwal, and Abhinandita Mathur, advisor to deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, also tested positive for COVID-19.

4

SC puts stay order on Rath Yatra at Jagannath Temple

5

Unlock, Unlock, Unlock is the Way Forward: PM Modi

In view of public health and safety of citizens, the Supreme Court of India has stayed the Rath Yatra at the Jagannath Temple in Puri that was scheduled on June 23. “Lord Jagannath won’t forgive us if we allow this year’s Rath Yatra.

Such huge gathering can’t take place during pandemic,” said the Chief Justice of India, Sharad Arvind Bobde, in response to a plea filed by the Odisha Vikas Parishad. The apex court further directed that no Rath Yatra is to be held in temple areas of Odisha. The Rath Yatra or the Chariot Festival is considered one of the country’s biggest religious festivals.

PM Narendra Modi, in his meeting with chief ministers of states on June 17, ruled out the possibility of another lockdown and directed that all governments to find ways of opening further. PM Modi also urged the states to minimize restrictions as much as possible and boost economic activities. He also stressed on the need to support migrant workers and promote telemedicine. “We need to now think about phase 2 of Unlock and how to minimize all possibilities of harm to our people,” said Modi. He repeatedly stressed on the need to unlock while addressing the second batch of chief ministers of 14 states and the lieutenant governor of Jammu & Kashmir.

15

6

India China face-off: 20 Indian, 43 Chinese casualties reported

7

India: Centre directs states to engage private sector to ensure affordable healthcare

In a violent face off on June 16 between Indian and Chinese troops, at least 20 soldiers were killed. Indian intercepts have claimed that 43 Chinese soldiers also either lost their lives or were seriously injured. However, a statement by the Army on June 16 had confirmed the death of a Colonel and two jawans. The unfortunate incident took place despite efforts being made to defuse tensions between the two countries at the border. Army sources said that the soldiers were not shot but were killed in a physical fight on the Indian Territory. As per reports, this is the first violent incident since 1975 where such deaths have been reported on both sides of the border in a face-off between the two countries.

Central government has asked states to engage with private players in healthcare sector to improve healthcare infrastructure and to provide critical care facilities to people at affordable rates. The Health Ministry also stated that some states have already begun doing this and are providing critical care for in-patient admissions.

Agreements have been made at reasonable rates to solve problems such as overcharging by healthcare providers for COVID treatment. Further, the Ministry expressed concerns over several reports showing an upward trend in shortage of healthcare infrastructure including well equipped to manage COVID patients. The Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojna package and Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) benefits can also drawn by people at affordable rates.

8

Union Minister launches first mobile lab to promote COVID testing in rural areas

Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan launched a mobile lab for COVID testing which can be deployed in rural and remote areas. “Launched India’s first mobile lab for #COVID19 testing to promote last-mile testing access in rural & inaccessible areas of India. Present with me on the occasion was Smt @RenuSwarup Ji, Secretary, @DBTIndia,” tweeted the minister informing about the same. The mobile laboratory, also called as the I-Lab or the Infectious Diseases Diagnostic will help in promoting last-mile testing. The laboratory can run 50 RTPCR and 200 ELISA tests in a day.

9

India Wins UNSC elections, becomes non-permanent member for 8th time

India is all set to become a member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). In a one-of-its-kind election for the UN Security Council, India sailed through with an overwhelming number of votes.

The country is all set to provide leadership and a new orientation for a reformed multilateral system, said the country’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, TS Tirumurti. India with 4 other members – Mexico, Norway, Kenya and Ireland – will join the UNSC on January 1, 2021 for a period of two years. The five new countries will replace Indonesia, South Africa, Dominican Republic, Belgium and Germany for the new term. Among the five newly elected member countries, India has served the maximum of seven terms at the council.

10

HPE CEO Antonio Neri tests positive for COVID-19

Taking to his Twitter Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Antonio Neri announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19. In his tweet he wrote, “I recently learned of some unfortunate personal news. Yesterday I tested positive for COVID-19. The good news is, I feel much better already and plan to proceed with business as usual while I quarantine from home.”

In a separate tweet he also mentioned that HPE Discover Virtual Experience will take place next week as planned.

In an upbeat internal video email, Neri said he is looking forward to speaking with HPE employees at an all-team member meeting on June 25.

16 Catching Up Talk Of The tOWN

| Jun 20 - Jun 26, 2020

PIC OF THE

Art of the week

WEEK

#NEPOTISM | Art: Rifa Deka

Artist: Sanjeev Handique | Puri bhaji stalls at GMCH

Kunja Thakur & Sons

I

f you are a local from Guwahati, you must have definitely heard of Kunja Thakur and Sons. I have grown up hearing that anything under the sun could be found in this famous shop, at least that’s what the older generation boasted of.

Still located in one corner of the ‘Phal market’ (fruits-market), just opposite the GMC Market Complex in Fancy Bazar, the store catered to almost all the necessities of the locals. It was established in 1880 and was originally named ‘ Kunja Bihari Banerjee and Sons’, but was famously known as Kunja Thakuror Dukan.

Kunja Bihari Banerjee, the proprietor of the shop was originally from Bangladesh. He first came to Assam in 1870 in search of his maternal uncle who had a small shop near the Brahmaputra River. On his arrival, Banerjee’s uncle asked him to run the shop and himself returned to his native place. As his uncle never returned, Kunja Bihari was compelled to take over the business. Later, he settled down in Kamakhya.

Did you know Kunja Thakur got

the first official tender to sell ‘Kani’ (opium) in Guwahati? When the district administration floated the tender for selling opium, he was the first to grab the opportunity. He got permission for retail sale of opium and later became a stockist of the medicinal drug.

As people got addicted to the drug, many even sold their properties to him to buy the same. This along with his other businesses made him a rich businessman and Kunja Bihari acquired a lot of land and property in Guwahati.

Apart from opium, the store sold all kinds of groceries, puja essentials and any other possible necessities. The store had a ‘Lal khata’ (red credit book) to keep the monthly accounts of customers. It had names like Gopinath Bordoloi,

Barasha Das @Barasha_mi2

1 of the 50,000 tests | Photo: Surajit Sharma

Oh come on! Not another containment zone again. Just declare the entire Guwahati city as a danger zone. My ride home from work has become a ‘Find your way out of the Maze’ game.

Tarun Ram Phukan, Kalisaran Sen, Guruprasad Baruah, etc.

Other shop owners stood up to respectfully greet him, every time Banerjee’s Phaeton car numbered ASK 129 arrived in Fancy Bazaar.

The shop had survived many calamities, and still owns a specials status amongst the locals. In 1941, Kunja Bihari Banerjee returned to Dhaka, and his later generations continue to run the store.

After his viral ‘Go Corona Go’ slogan Union Minister Ramdas Athawale is at it again with his boycott chinese food campaign. This time the minister was quoted saying, “Restaurants selling Chinese food should be banned. I appeal to people to boycott Chinese food.”

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