MyVoice: Views of our readers 15th October 2023

Whither end to mayhem in Israel?

Absolutely, the situation in the Gaza strip is terribly disturbing, but who is responsible for the present situation? To start with, Hamas did the cruellest harakiri that Israel could not think of and as a follow-up the latter is doing a great disservice to humanity as a whole. Israel occupied a large portion of land belonging to Palestine way back in 1967 and ever since the tensions brewed on and off killing innocent citizens on both sides apart from huge loss of property as well. This is a great tragedy despite the world spending huge funds to run the United Nations Organisation and quite a few other bodies for ensuring peaceful coexistence of people of various countries. The main culprits could easily be identified as the Western countries which fuel trouble spots all over the world to ensure uninterrupted sale of arms and ammunition manufactured by them from time to time. UNO should be able to act independently instead of being a tool in the hands of a few Western countries. If it fails then innocent lives would continue to perish at regular intervals as the religious, regional, expansionist, authoritarian etc., conditions are used by the vested interests to keep the developing and under developed countries simmering always. Right to exist and lead a decent life cannot be denied to any human being on this earth.

– Govardhana Myneedu, Vijayawada

A striking feature among three of the latest wars – namely, Russia-Ukraine, Armenia-Azerbaijan and Israel-Palestine – is target killing of civilian population. Civilians' deaths in these wars could not remain a mere collateral damage but planned mass killing with objective precision as evident from the latest executions of the armed forces representing Russia , Hamas, Ukraine, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Many a times as already evident in ongoing Israel Palestine war, civilians are kidnapped for ransom money. Such atrocities can be termed as war crime against humanity according to the Geneva Convention followed by the prosecution at International criminal court.

– Arka Goswami, Durgapur

Ref: "Terribly disturbing, but hardly surprising." As the holocaust reminds the world of similar acts of Adolf Hitler’s annihilation of European Jews during the Second World War. Fear has gripped as the Hamas terror groups are going about determinedly to wipe out the jews from Israel, their homeland. Whether they succeed or fail miserably depends much on how the comity of nations unite and act to put an end to the mindless killings before it turns into a big war. Despite the fact that Palestine militancy gave birth to Hamas, its strength grew with the active support and aid of Arab countries; what is worse is Hamas using civilians as bargaining chips by use of brutal force resulting in bloodbath. Time has come for all nations to strive to establish global peace.

– K R Srinivasan, Secunderabad

Just a few days ago after, the brutal attack of Hamas on innocent Israelites, the Prime Minister expressed the nation's solidarity with Israel, saying India stands with the nation in its hour of grief. The statement was misconstrued by many including the opposition. India does support the Palestinian cause but not through radicalism and extremism. India has always rejected terrorism and advocated for peaceful negotiations to settle all sorts of crisis. These so called "saviours and sympathisers" have forgotten how much our nation suffered due to cross-border terrorism for many years and now reduced to minimum as the government started giving instant retaliation without any hesitation.

Let us not forget there is no good or bad terrorism and before it spreads like a pandemic, the whole world should come together and put an end to this menace which is against humanity.

– M Pradyu, Kannur

As if the mayhem inflicted on Gaza Strip by Israel, as part of her retribution against the attack by Hamas last Saturday that has resulted in death and destruction of gargantuan proportions wasn’t enough, Israel ordered more than 1.1 million civilians living in northern Gaza to move to the south in 24 hours. Israel already made a point against the attack by Hamas, which was, to say the least, foolhardy on Hamas’ part. The country assured of wholehearted support by all-weather friends in the West doesn’t know where and when to stop the murder on a displaced Palestinian people, who themselves have been denied their homeland by Israel’s annexation ways. This vicious cycle which has claimed numerous lives down the years must be stopped by other peace-loving nations like India, who must walk their talks on ‘peace and brotherhood’, as voiced by PM Modi in his inaugural address at the 9th G-20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit.

– Dr George Jacob, Kochi

The roots of the Israel-Palestinian conflict lie in the havoc played by European nation-states and the World Wars they initiated. Most of the world's problems today trace back to the colonialism of European nations, which spread across the world to forcibly plunder most nations. Going even deeper, it is finally a clash of religions. Both Christianity and Islam, arising from Europe and the Middle East, respectively, disrupted the world order for 2,000 years. The solution for the world is Sanatana Dharma, which allows the integration of diversity like no other, but it looks like a distant dream. The strife is going to increase in the days to come. The Palestinian conflict, along with all the other world conflicts, will end only with either a nuclear war, which would flatten the earth and perhaps start a new cycle of evolution, or an alien attack, which might temporarily unite humanity. A better option is Sanatana Dharma. Sanatana Dharma is precisely not a religion because such violence and intolerance are unknown to its philosophy. A person can publicly call for the extermination of all Sanatanis and still go around free since blasphemy does not simply exist. The religions that came from alien lands became Sanatani and tolerant because that is how India absorbs diversity.

– Dr Pingali Gopal, Hanamkonda

EU countries have now understood the lingering dangers of being liberal about allowing muslim immigrants into their countries as the true face would show up sooner than later; and the pro-Palestine and pro-Hamas demonstrations were not allowed in France and Germany. France has the experience of a silly and insignificant issue that can manifest into a marauding and destructive demonstration. Palestine self-determination and statehood proved hollow despite having been achieved and could not pave the way for meaningful and friendly coexistence with Israel. The radical groups like Hamas hijacked the issue to their advantage rather than giving legitimacy to Palestine's self-rule, even sham elections were conducted and the representatives elected to be mere dummies. The Palestine situation would have continued even if all demands of Palestine were fulfilled by Israel.

The Gazans are now paying the price for the folly and mindless acts of Hamas, and are reduced to the status of helpless lambs to be slaughtered at the whims of the Islamist jihadists, who care two hoots to the loss of lives of women and children in the ongoing reprisal by Israel. The people of Palestine must muster the courage and wisdom to sideline Hamas in order to live in peace; and not be always reduced to the status of displaced community every time a war rages between Hamas and Israel, despite having a state of their own own.

– K V Raghuram, Wayanad

A Testament to Compassion and Commitment

I write to express my sincere appreciation for the unwavering commitment and dedication of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy towards improving healthcare in Andhra Pradesh. His recent directives to officials, as reported in your publication as “CM moots 3 more child hosps”, demonstrate a clear and compassionate vision for the welfare of the people.

The Chief Minister's emphasis on ensuring quality medical treatment in Jagananna Aarogya Suraksha camps is commendable. The initiative not only enhances the government's reputation but also uplifts the healthcare sector. The proposal to establish a kidney research center in Prakasam district and modern children's hospitals in Vijayawada, Guntur, and Visakhapatnam reflects a forward-thinking approach to healthcare infrastructure.

It is heartening to learn that over 3.17 million individuals have received treatment at Aarogya Suraksha camps, and measures are being taken to address anemia and provide nutritious food to young girls. The development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to aid patients not covered by Aarogyasri earlier is a thoughtful move, and the allocation of necessary funds for this purpose is reassuring.

The plan to conduct health camps in village and ward secretariats, along with the development of family clinics and awareness programs, indicates a proactive approach to ensuring healthcare accessibility at the grassroots level. The proposal for weekly reviews is a testament to the Chief Minister's hands-on approach to monitoring the progress of the Arogya Suraksha camps.

The progress in hospital works under NaduNedu, the establishment of new medical colleges, and urban health clinics are all signs of a healthcare system on the path to remarkable improvement.

I believe that Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy's commitment to healthcare is not only an inspiration to the state but also sets a valuable example for the entire country. It is heartening to see a leader who truly prioritizes the well-being of his constituents.

– Javvadi Lakshmana Rao, Visakhapatnam

Dismal data about India is just out

The Government of India has maintained that the data released from GHI (Global Hunger Index) is erroneous and lacks methodological benchmarks and that the indicators can't represent the entire population. According to the report surveyed by European NGO Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2023, the rate of hunger is considerably high in India and it was ranked 111 out of 125 countries in comparison to the ranks of neighboring countries Bangladesh (81), Nepal (69), Sri Lanka (60). This measures four important components of child wasting, stunting, mortality and undernourished and suggested that child wasting rate is 18.7 per cent, the highest in the world and prevalence of anaemia in women aged between 15-24 years stood at 58 per cent.

All these statistical data reflects that instead of having several state and central schemes across nations, not enough is being done to manage the hunger of the people and because of which malnutrition, undernourishment, child mortality, stunting, wasting, anaemia prevail high. To mitigate the health vulnerability among poor and marginalised sections of society, there are multiple programmes like midday meal scheme at primary schools, iron and folic tablets for pregnant and lactating women's, health cards, wellness centres, PDS grain distribution at district and rural level, and political freebies etc., carried out by the administration. A perfect example for this, Poshan Tracker is more or less doing the same and providing day-based scores to dynamically determine stunting, wasting, underweight and obesity status based on child height, weight, gender and age. Whatever the outcomes of the report, a holistic and integrated health system is designed, having last-mile connectivity.

– Dimple Wadhawan, Kanpur

India should build on Asian Games glory

The recently concluded Asian Games at Hangzhou in China has reminded us of the changing scenario in Indian sports and games. It was a remarkable achievement for the Indian contingent in the Asian games in China this time. This great triumph highlights the beginning of a revolutionary era in the country's sports and games. In the 2018 Asian Games, India bagged 70 medals. we were at the 8th place in the medal tally, far behind China, Japan and South Korea with 16 gold, 24 silver and 30 bronze. Surprisingly, now we are at the 4th place with 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze medals just behind China, Japan and Korea. The tremendous success in the Asian Games should be a motivational force for the Indians to reap as many medals as possible in the upcoming Olympics in Paris. Indian government has been doing its level best to improve the standards of the Indian sports and athletes. Sports and games should be an integral part of pre-primary and primary education. Innate skills of the students should be identified and nurtured so as to acquire more proficiency in the desired field of their sports and games.

The pleasant reminiscence of those days when P T Usha lost a medal in 400m hurdles by a whisker in 1984 Los Angeles Games still continue to reverberate in the minds of millions of sports lovers. Our athletes and players should go the extra mile to brush up their skills and perform in an exemplary way in the Paris Olympics.

– Prabhakaran Vallath, Kozhikode

Mainstream media eroding credibility

The boycott of 14 anchors by the I.N.D.I.A group does not seem to have made any difference in their approach to the many debates and discussions on prime time TV. It would be a sad day for Indian democracy when instead of being the fourth pillar, the media becomes a devise to bury any kind of opposition and claiming they are doing it to protect national interest. Many viewers have already switched on to digital news platforms for information denied to them by the mainstream TV channels.

There has been complete silence on the irregularities pointed out by the CAG report which indicts the government on the charges of siphoning the money. One has only to remember the time when the then CAG Vinod Rai had made similar kind of observations. It is another matter that none of them has been proved in a court of law. Rhea Chakravorthy was pronounced guilty in abetment of the death of Sushant Singh Rajput by all kinds of amateur detectives. It was a feeding frenzy 24/7 for weeks. It is a wonder that the poor girl did not collapse under the weight of the wanton attacks. The Courts have come down heavily on the kind of reportage in the death of SSR. But hardly anybody has shown remorse and regret in targeting her.

It would be sad day for Indian democracy when the fourth estate supposed to be the fourth pillar of the democracy loses the confidence of the people. In refusing to speak on several important issues like Manipur, allegations against Adani and other such, the media has lost credibility and is now watched only by those who want to hear the government praised and the opposition bashed.

– Anthony Henriques, Mumbai

Introspection by top bureaucrats needed

Bold Talk reveals the present administrative environment in the timely and apt article "WHEN TOP-LEVEL BABUS TURN PLIANT PARTNERS" (Oct 14). This highly merited service has to run on the right track according to its constituent principles taught in their course study. There were some IAS officers who refused to yield to the pressures despite knowing that any clash or skirmish with the government would immediately result in transfers. We know the reasons how and why Sri Lakshmi is still attending courts. But earlier, it was not the case. To quote a few: When former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao planned to visit Vijayawada, his IAS Secretary did not permit him as there was some law and order problem there. The programme was cancelled. But later the Secretary was appreciated upon realising the problem. During Jawaharlal Nehru's regime, a Collector of an Andhra district arrested a state minister on valid grounds. Indira Gandhi and NT Rama Rao were already referred to in the essay. It is a sad state affairs these days that most of this highest administrative cadre are yielding to the pressures which are resulting in untoward mishaps. Staying by service orientation strictly may sometimes result in transfers but doesn't affect their profession. Let us hope Ramu Sarma's bold talk "YES BOSS" theory turns bold and boosts the bravery of this tribe

- Dr NSR Murthy, Secunderabad

Disasters threaten to be order of the day

By 2030, the world could witness roughly 560 annual disasters, potentially forcing an additional 100.7 million people into poverty, based on current climate predictions. To combat this, it is imperative to engage in meticulous planning and increase investments in comprehensive data to mitigate risks effectively.

The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction in 2023 on October 13 aligned with the Sendai Framework, an international accord focused on preventing losses in lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure. This framework, in conjunction with the Paris Agreement, strives to fulfill Sustainable Development Goals and reinforce local disaster risk reduction capabilities established in 2015 at the UN Conference in Sendai.

Originating in 1989 via the United Nations General Assembly, the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction fosters a global culture of risk awareness and disaster prevention. It commemorates global initiatives to diminish disaster exposure and enhance awareness of risk reduction. This year's observance follows the UN General Assembly's May 2023 adoption of a declaration to expedite disaster resilience after the Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.

India has made significant strides in improving early warning systems, notably reducing cyclone-related fatalities. It persists in enhancing safety through advanced technology and collaboration with the government and partners. Let us unite to collectively build a safer and more resilient world.

– Dr Krishna Kumar Vepakomma