There is no value of human life in our country
The Delhi Anaj Mandi inferno in which 43 innocent people perished and several injured does not come as a shock as we as a nation give scant respect for safety standards be it fire or on any other parameter. Human beings in our country are treated as cattles and do not get the respect associated with humanity. Delhi is the capital city of our country and if laws are not followed here, then less said the better about smaller metro cities and towns.
Corruption rules the roost in our country and laws are overlooked by accepting bribes for petty gains. Citizens too are to be blamed as bribes are accepted if somebody is willing to pay them and there is no value for human life in our country. Our legal and bureaucratic system needs reform and accountability is the need of the hour. Let us not be penny wise and pound foolish and come out with stringent laws to safeguard human lives.
S.N. Kabra
Varsities need a big revamp
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu at a convocation a few days ago lamented that very few Indian universities figured among the top 300 in this year’s Time World University Ranking and urged that a complete revamp is needed to enhance quality education in our higher education institutions so that our universities get into the top hundred in the world.
The vice president was addressing students at the 16th convocation ceremony at Symbiosis International University when he mentioned the plight of our universities.
The VP rightly said that, “We have to again make India a Vishwa guru and for that to happen, we have to improve the quality of education in Indian universities. We need to think about the factors responsible for this”.
Our nation stood proud as the education capital of the world in the past with excellent ancient universities like Nalanda, Taxila, Valabhi and Vikramshila and many others spreading its radiance around the globe. They perished with invasions and colonialism. The British era saw a number of Varsities sprout and though they did cater to standard education, these were based on the British educational system and sadly the rich traditional and heritage education of India went into oblivion. Post independence our nation saw the birth of many higher education institutions and they did produce a good number of intellectuals and academicians but somewhere in the line these have become just “degree producing factories ” moulding individuals sans intellectuality. A number of problems have resulted in our varsities losing their sheen. Faculty examination system, inadequate funds or funds not being used effectively, quota system, lack of infrastructure, laxity and sluggish attitude regarding the planning of curriculum are some of the main problems posing as hurdles in the progress of our varsities. Politics is another distraction creating unwanted chaos in the campus. Political interference must be stopped for the smooth functioning of Varsities. Varsities must cater to the need of the society. ! It is high time our Varsities go for a complete change and if this doesn’t happen now the educational scenario of India is bleak.
M Pradyu
Simplify CPGRAM web portal
It refers to modifications done in web-portal Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAM) wherein just 500 characters are allowed to be posted as complaints for six departments namely Post, Telecommunication, Banking, and Insurance attracting maximum use of web-portal. For rest others normal 3000 characters are allowed on posted complaints.
It is rather impossible to convey a complaint in just 500 characters. Department of Administrative reforms and public Grievances managing CPGRAMS portal should restore character-limit of 3000 for these important departments. Also web-portal should be further simplified by removing restriction of special characters in posted complaints. Portal should also incorporate feature to accept suggestions like exists on similar web-link available on website of Prime Minister.
Subhash Chandra Agrawal
Providing citizenship rights for only non-Muslims is discriminatory
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, which was tabled by the government in Lok Sabha, is the most divisive and fissiparous move in the country’s legislative history. The Union cabinet has approved the Bill which has provisions that strike at the very idea of India envisaged in the struggle for freedom, ordained by the Constitution and lived by the people for decades, and even centuries. Last year also, the government had introduced the Bill but it was referred to a joint parliamentary panel. The Bill seeks to give citizenship to non-Muslims in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who have suffered religious persecution and have come into India. Citizenship of India is not based on religion and so providing for citizenship rights for only non-Muslims is discriminatory. It violates the right to equality and other rights and ideals, including secularism, which form the basic structure of the Constitution. But I sincerely request the parties which have promised support for the Bill should seriously consider what it means for the very soul of this country
T Anwar
Help Delhi fire incident victims
At least 43 people have died and around 50 wounded after a major fire broke out in Anaj Mandi area in Central Delhi. It is extremely tragic news for the country I think that this time we should help victims and order for magisterial probe into this incident. It is unfortunate that political parties began to play blame game with each other, the BJP holding the Kejriwal government responsible for the incident. But on the other hand, Delhi government ordered a magisterial probe and sought a report within seven days. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh and Rs10 lakh each, respectively, for the families of the deceased. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh for each deceased from Bihar.
M Qasmi Nadwi
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
