Time to abolish concept of legal-size paper
It refers to much-awaited and welcome environment and user friendly circular dated February 13, 2020 by Supreme Court allowing use of double-sided A-4 size paper for filing purposes. Earlier in January 2020, Supreme Court had directed its registry to sue double-sided A-4 size paper. Decision will not only be environment-friendly, but also user-friendly because mostly printers for domestic use are equipped to handle only A-4 size paper.
It may be recalled that a meeting of Chairpersons of Computer Committees of High Courts chaired by the then Supreme Court Judge Justice Madan B Lokur (Judge in-charge of e-Committee of Supreme Court) on 2-3 August 2014 emphasised that for sake of uniformity, A-4 size paper-sheets should be used in preparing orders, judgements and depositions. But the British legacy of legal-size paper still continues.
Department of Consumer Affairs (Government of India) should now disallow any further production and use of legal-size paper, thus making A-4 size paper to be commonly used paper-sheets. It is also time for slight modification in A-4 size paper from present (29.5 cms x 21 cms) to (30 cms x 20 cms) to be in tune with true metric spirit.
Madhu Agrawal
Let students enjoy exams
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tweet to all the candidates appearing for the CBSE Class X and XII exams wishing them all the best and urging the students to appear for the exams in a happy and stress-free manner is timely and the PM’s tweet is apt when he says that exams have to be taken in a happy and stress free manner. What we see today is not only the students tensed up with exam fever but the teachers and the parents too ‘shuddering and shivering ‘ sadly rising the ‘ tension temperature’ of the youngsters who are pressurised in such a way that they see exams as a ruthless opponent waiting to devour the students!. What the students forget is that it is just an assessment to analyse what they have imbibed and understood in the subjects. Exams are just a system to test their knowledge and not an ordeal to dissect their intelligence. Parents and teachers have an important role in creating a tension free atmosphere for the students to take on the examination. Rather than creating pressure and panic parents and teachers will have to create an ambience of peace, calmness and perseverance.
Creating horrific hallucinations about exams results in excessive anxiety which leads to unwanted fear, insecurity, apprehension and mental tension. Exams are not the beginning and end of life. When an environment of high competition is created it creates a scary image to the candidates. The students misunderstand that exams are meant only for getting grades and it is the only way that shape and mould their future career path, self-worth and identity. This leads to more anxiety and is one of the causes of students indulging in malpractices.
So it is important as the PM said for the teachers and the parents to encourage the children to show them the ways to deal with the exams in a de-stressed and anxiety free manner. Let us encourage, support and help them to enjoy examinations.
M Pradyu
Union Government should study utility of cow-urine for medicinal use
It refers to videos viral on social media wherein it has been claimed that extracts of cow-urine can be successful medicine to meet big challenge to corona-virus. Also our ancient Sanskrit-literature is full of Ayurvedic medical literature.
Union government should immediately set up expert-group from concerned ministries to study utility of cow-urine for medicinal values. Also ancient Sanskrit-literature should be analysed for advanced study in field of Ayurveda.
In case India becomes successful in finding medicine for corona-virus, then India can once again lead global world in providing a treatment to till now fast-spreading fatal corona-virus.
Subhash Chandra Agrawal
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
