G Plus Vol 7 Issue 27

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

INSIDE

Volume 07 | Issue 27 Apr 25 - May 01, 2020 Price `10 Social-distancing Will it be possible when schools reopen?

Lockdown Impact: Streaming platforms become the new normal for movie watching

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Leveraging Social Media,the Assam Police way!

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Extra burden on 104 as ASTC has no toll-free number for facilitating interdistrict movement G Plus News @guwahatiplus

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hough the managing director of Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC), IPS officer Anand Prakash Tiwari has been seen in interviews (mostly given to the local news channels) that the transport department is geared up for facilitating interdistrict movement, many people are confused as they do not know if they will be able to commute on ASTC buses from different districts.

Highly placed sources in National Health Mission (NHM) talking to G Plus under condition of anonymity said that 24,818 calls were received by 104 for acquiring permission of travelling one-time to different districts by ASTC buses. 104, amidst receiving many medical emergency calls, forwarded these 24,818 requests to ASTC which asked travel permission for more than 41,000 passengers.

The ASTC has claimed that 41,000 passengers will travel separately in three days – (25th, 26th & 27th April), but the applicants are yet to be

informed. The officials of ASTC were asked by G Plus how many buses are to be allotted for the purpose. The officials failed to answer which questions the preparedness of the department.

Though the health & finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has already clarified in his press conference on 24th April that the passengers who will be allowed to travel on the above mentioned days will get a message on the previous day, the process still looks unplanned to many.

“I understand that it is an emergency situation and the government is trying to help but as we want to travel by ASTC as announced by the government, ASTC should have had a toll-free number rather than 104. It is difficult to contact ASTC whereas 104 has already forwarded our request,” said an applicant who is irked at the entire process.

Meanwhile, the 104 is not facilitating any requests for ASTC related queries as they took the requests till midnight of 23rd April. But still they are getting many calls which are disturbing them from addressing the medical emergencies.

Travellers assembling at ISBT, Guwahati to avail the inter district travel facility

3-day inter-district

conditional movement unplanned, allege applicants G Plus News @guwahatiplus

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hough the Assam government has claimed that the inter-district movement which was announced by state health and finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during a press conference on 22nd April last will be hassle free, many applicants have claimed that the entire process has been done in haste and in an unplanned manner.

A human resource manager of a media house located in Guwahati talking to G Plus under condition of anonymity said, “I tried managing to bring back an important employee of the organization from Udalguri but was not able to.” She claimed that whenever she dialled 104, it never worked for her.

Similarly, a Guwahati based teacher, now stranded in Silchar, said that it was difficult to contact the Silchar deputy commissioner’s office to get an e-pass to commute to Guwahati. Similar complaints were reported from districts across the state.

The health and finance minister of the state is seen busy combating the Covid-19 pandemic and all states have appreciated the man. But looking at his spirit to work, the minister should also understand that for all departments there are ministers who are responsible. On April 24, state transport minister Chandra Mohan Patowary was expected to address the media at 4 pm.

Sources said that he was planning to explain how the transport department will manage the transportation of the applicants, but at 3.30 pm, the finance minister already had narrated whatever the transport minister was expecting to explain.

Patowary’s press conference was thereafter called off without an official reason being cited.

The government converted 104 as a toll-free number for people who are stranded in various districts because of sudden continuous lockdown, but the number was used as a toll-free for medical emergencies since many days.

The Assam government had decided to allow inter-district movement of people for 3 days

with an aim to provide some relief to the people stranded in various parts of the state.

Announcing this, Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday had said, “We have decided to allow inter-district movement for three days from April 25 to April 27 so that people stranded in different parts of the state can commute back to their native places.”

He had also said, “People with their own vehicles, if stranded in some other part of the state, will be allowed to commute after they acquire proper permission from the respective deputy commissioners.”

People who do not have vehicles were asked to dial 104 and might get a chance to travel by Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) buses in allocated routes by the transport department.

Till 24th evening people were confused as only a few were intimated by the ASTC and officials in ASTC claimed that all were informed. When asked how many buses were allocated by the ASTC to help the stranded passengers, the ASTC officials failed to answer.

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In The News

| Apr 25 - May 01, 2020

19 cured of COVID-19 in Assam, active cases at 15 Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

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n a bit of a relief for Assam, the total number of cured and discharged COVID-19 patients in the state has exceeded the total number of active cases.

As on April 24, a total of 19 people have been cured and discharged from various hospitals in the state whereas the number of active cases stands at 15.

Further, as on April 22, the state had seen no positive case in the past seven days. But on April 23, a man from Bilasipara area of Dhubri tested COVID-19 positive.

State health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma informed that the patient had a history of being in touch with another positive patient who was part of Athgaon Kabristhan Masjid congregation.

It is to be mentioned that till date, Assam has seen 35 positive cases of novel coronavirus, whereas one patient died of COVID-19.

Assam registered its first casualty owing to complications of coronavirus on

April 10 with the passing away of a 65-year-old man from Hailakandi district in Silchar. The deceased, Faijul Haque Barbhyan, had a travel history to Saudi Arabia as well as to the Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi, and was confirmed to be COVID-19 positive.

Out of the 35 coronavirus cases reported in Assam so far, nine are from Golaghat district, six from Morigaon district, five from Dhubri, four each from Nalbari and Goalpara, and one each from South Salmara, Kamrup (Metro), Kamrup, Karimganj, Lakhimpur, Cachar and Hailakandi districts.

While 32 of the corona positive cases have direct or indirect links with the Nizamuddin Markaz, one has a travel history to Saudi Arabia and the source of transmission in regard to the resident of Spanish Garden in Guwahati is still unknown.

Briefing the media recently, the state health minister informed that Assam has a death rate of 2.94% due to COVID-19 whereas the India death rate stands at 3.2%.

He further said that Assam has conducted 5,789 tests till now and results for 214 are awaited.

Health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma with cred patients | G Plus photo Sarma said that the state has 3,338

isolation beds, 440 ICU facility

and 10,061 quarantine facility.

Assam: 82% COVID-19 patients were asymptomatic As many as 82 percent of the total 34 COVID-19 positive patients in Assam were asymptomatic carriers of the virus.

“These people were silent carriers and were asymptomatic,” informed state health and family welfare minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in a recent press meet.

He further mentioned that 20 percent patients displayed symptoms of fever, 11 percent

had cough and 7 percent had sore throat.

It is to be mentioned that Assam has conducted 120 tests so far per 10 lakh population.

Further, a few patients also showed symptoms of diarrhoea, breathlessness and general weakness.

Additionally, one patient had co-morbidity of cancer, while one patient had asthma, as per health department’s analysis of the total

coronavirus cases in the state.

Additionally, out of those who have tested positive for COVID-19, a total of 79 percent patients are male and 21 percent are female. The age range for positive patients in Assam is from 18 to 71 years.

The most vulnerable people were found to be between 50 and 60 years, informed the minister.

Further, as a precautionary measure, the district

administration has extended Spanish Garden in Zoo Road, Guwahati as containment zone for an additional period of 14 days with effect from April 19.

As per the district administration’s order, all the restrictions which were earlier imposed in Spanish Garden will remain in force during the extension period of containment zone.

“Any violation of this order

will attract action under the provisions of “The Assam COVID-19 Regulations, 2020” “The Disaster Management Act2005”, The Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 and other relevant laws of the nation,” states the order.

It is to be mentioned that Spanish Garden was declared as a containment zone by the government and was sealed after a positive COVID-19 case was found in the locality.

Assam Govt to take decision on opening of shops on April 27 G Plus News @guwahatiplus

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ssam Chief Secretary, Kumar Sanjay Krishna has informed that no relaxation of ongoing lockdown has yet been decided by the government of Assam like opening of shops, beauty parlours etc.

Further as per a tweet in DIPR Assam a decision in this regard will be taken only on 27 April,

2020.

It is to be mentioned that Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order, GP Singh has also confirmed in a tweet that the Home Ministry’s new order to open single shops will not be implemented in Assam, unless ordered by the state government.

Earlier, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had issued an order on the 24th of April stating that all shops in residential complexes and market complexes, except shops in multi-brand and single

brand malls, referring to shopping malls in general, in rural and semi-rural areas will be allowed to operate.

For municipalities and metropolitan areas, neighbourhood shops, standalone shops, and shops inside the residential complexes will be allowed, but shops in shopping malls are to remain closed as per the earlier rules.

All shops that are allowed to operate are to have only 50 percent of the workforce and follow all lockdown protocol.

Police punishment | GGPlus photo A grocery shop doing business duringon theviolators lockdown| PlusFile photo

In The News

| Apr 25 - May 01, 2020

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Amidst doubts on quality, Chinese PPE kits to undergo quality tests in Assam Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

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ith some people raising doubts over the quality of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) kits imported from China, Assam health & family welfare minister Himanta Biswa Sarma informed that the PPE kits imported by the state from China will undergo quality testing.

As per reports, the state will test these kits even though they are FDA/CCE approved. It is to be mentioned that kits which are not verified by FDA/CCE have to pass the quality test in India.

Assam recently became the first state in the country to independently import 50,000 personal protection Equipment (PPE) kits from China.

The minister mentioned that the kits will be given to hospitals only after testing.

It is to be mentioned that a special flight landed at Guwahati Airport on April 15 with all the PPE kits from Guangzhou, China which would be a great help for the doctors and nurses of Assam in tackling COVID-19.

However, as per a report in The Economic Times, thousands of PPE imported from China were

rejected after they failed the quality test in India. Out of the 1.70 lakh kits which were donated by China, around 50,000 kits failed the test, according to the repot.

The kits arrived in India on April 5.

Further, some people have also raised their concerns about the same. Responding to Jagadish Bhuyan, former Assam minister, who enquired on Twitter if the PPE kits imported from China by Assam have failed on being tested here, Assam health and family welfare minister Himanta Biswa Sarma replied: “Dada you will never understand the pain and effort put by our team. Every state is struggling for PPE kits. We had only 10 on 16th March. Anyway, you will not understand that. Your words will surely induce fear factor among our doctors. Any way I will ensure that no one demoralised.”

Bhuyan later clarified: “Himanta, I do understand the pain of u & everybody in performing respective duties.

You misconstrued my intention completely. I asked a question based on a National Daily just for a clarification regarding test of PPE Kits by DRDO from your side as you are the authority.”

As per a report in Outlook magazine, procuring these 50,000 kits did not come easy for the Assam government. For this,

Health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma receiving the consignment of 50,000 PPE kits from China at Guwahati airport | G Plus photo ten private individuals made advance payments on behalf of the state government, amounting to nearly Rs 15 cores to a supplier in Delhi because as per norms, the government does not make an advance payment.

Further, Sarma also got in touch with Dr Tarun Sahni, a doctor working in Delhi and Ranjit Borthakur, CEO of Rajasthan Royals IPL team. Both Sahni and Borthakur are engaged in workings of Smile India Foundation in Assam. On the minister’s request,

they got in touch with officials of Smile Asia in China. This helped in prioritising the PPE kits’ order at China airport and at the customs.

Additionally, a Blue Dart fivehour-long direct cargo flight was also arranged from Guangzhou to Guwahati for the same.

Assam begins COVID-19 rapid tests from Guwahati’s Spanish Garden Assam’s first COVID-19 rapid tests were undertaken at Guwahati’s Spanish Garden Apartment Complex at Zoo Road on April 23.

The tests were undertaken in the presence of state health minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma and minister of state for health & family welfare, Pijush Hazarika.

Speaking about the rapid tests at the Spanish Garden Apartment Complex, which is a containment zone in Guwahati, the minister said that the tests have been carried out on 100 people at the Spanish Garden Complex on an experimental basis and the first nine tests returned negative results.

To conduct rapid tests, the Assam government had received 9,600 rapid testing kits which have been purchased by the government of India.

The health & family welfare minister had earlier tweeted from his official handle: “GoI has given 9600 Rapid Antibody test kits for IgM/IgG to Coronavirus.

The test is non-confirmatory yet useful for mass surveillance in containment areas as it gives results in 15 mnts.”

Further, the state government will also purchase ICMRrecognised additional rapid testing kits, informed Sarma.

The government would additionally conduct 25 rapid

tests in Athgaon Kabaristan and 250 in Lahorighat. These will be conducted randomly.

With the rapid kits, one can know the result of a patient within 15 minutes, said the minister.

“With IGG we will know from how many days he is positive and if he earlier had COVID-19,” said Sarma.

It is to be mentioned that Assam recorded its 35th positive case for COVID-19 on April 23.

After seven days of not recording any coronavirus positive case, a new case came to light in Assam on Thursday after a man from Bilasipara area of Dhubri tested COVID-19 positive.

Rapid testing undderway at Spanish Garden Apartment Complex | G Plus photo State health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma informed that the patient had a history of being

in touch with another positive patient who was part of Athgaon Kabristhan Masjid congregation.

4 Concern

| Apr 25 - May 01, 2020

Lockdown makes a heavy impact on brick business; production season disrupted Atiqul Habib @guwahatiplus

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he construction industry in Assam, which generally witnesses peak activities in the months between December and April, has been severely impacted by the spread of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown.

From the time the Centre along with the state government declared the outbreak as a pandemic, the construction industry witnessed work disruptions and gradual

For us the month of March is the most important and crucial month but the end of the month has gone in the lockdown lockdowns of its operations due to closure of brick fields, the cement industry and the stone quarries all together.

It is to be mentioned that after the lockdown was declared, work in all brick fields in Assam came to a grinding halt at the peak season - hitting everything from supplies to labourers’ survival and wellness.

In a respite, on April 20, Assam chief secretary, Kumar Sanjay Krishna, in a press meet announced the ease down on a few industries from the COVID-19 lockdown and said the brick fields can also be re-opened and pending works can now be completed. But the question that arises here is that is the season still available to manufacture bricks with the onslaught of monsoon looming large around the corner?

G Plus tried reach to a few brick field owners from various parts of Assam to understand their plight amid this crisis situation.

Owner of MRI Branded Bricks from Chaygaon said, “Normally our work continues till April end every season but this year everything has gone for a toss as compared to last year.”

The owner further added that this year due to unprecedented change of weather and rains and now because of the lockdown their business and productivity has been hugely impacted.

Notably, although the government has allowed to light up the brick kilns the future remains unclear as the coal that is used to light the kilns is out of stock due to closure of mines.

Another owner of SPK Branded Bricks from Mangaldoi said, “We do not see any benefit from the government’s approval of reopening the fields because our production had already stopped and the rainy season has also arrived.”

“In the season time itself we had to shut down our production and of the raw unfinished products that we have manufactured we could sell only 30 percent of it because coal supplies came to a halt,” he added.

This year it was anticipated that the industry would grow a bit more because of several upcoming projects and the government’s assistance to citizens to build residential complexes.

However, the lockdown and the unseasonal rains have washed away all hopes of the brick field owners.

Owner of MBI branded bricks from Changsari in Kamrup said, “Definitely we have incurred a severe loss but we cannot give a final figure as we could not finish off the season.”

“Although the government has given us permission to work, all our labourers have left for home and with the season coming to an end, we have to only rely on the stock materials to sell in the coming days,” he added.

LEO branded bricks owner from Sonapur said, “Our loss during this lockdown is comething we will not be able to track back on. All our labourers are gone, even the season has passed by. The actual time of production has gone in the lockdown period.”

“For us the month of March is the most important and crucial month but the end

A brick field in operation prior to March near Guwahati | G Plus photo of the month has gone in the lockdown, so this time till the beginning of the new season everything will go into losses only,” he added.

According to the owner the brick fields should have been allowed to operate with minimal workforce as this is the only season time. Hence, if production was being carried out it could have helped in balancing the supply and demand ratio.

Brick prices to see steep hike to justify lockdown

With the production coming to a halt the brick field owners in Assam had to accommodate its labourers with food and supplies as they were stuck because of the lockdown.

It is to be mentioned that the labourers in the brick industry are contract workers, normally migrant workers, who come to Assam from various parts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh specially.

The owners are mulling that the price per brick piece which is currently being sold at around Rs 9 may go up to cover

the losses of providing ration and supplies to the labours locked up in the fields.

The state government earlier had clearly instructed all the production heads to provide basic necessity to all the labourers who were stuck in this time of lockdown.

When G Plus spoke to four brick kilns owners, it was found that around 500 labourers were stuck in the production fields for the last 30 days which added an extra burden on the owners for the wellness of its trapped workers.

“For us to provide them with meals thrice a day at this time when our production is zero has proved to be very difficult,” said an owner of a kiln.

“The police come every week to check on the labourers and their well-being and if they complain our life will be hell.

Hence, we are doing everything to keep them safe,” he added.

With all the views of the owners in place, it can be assured that the construction industry will witness a price rise of materials in the coming days if the brick field owners decide to make up for the losses incurred during the lockdown

days.

Assam Govt yet to decide on plying of heavy vehicle

Although the Assam state government has given a green signal to open up the brick fields to continue with the unfinished work, the owners are still in a dilemma of transporting the end products to its users.

Speaking to G Plus, one of the owners said that the government has given them permission but they are unable to sell anything because the heavy vehicles are still not allowed to ply on the roads.

With the monsoon season looming, the owners fear that their products would not be sold out as generally, in the rainy season, construction works are not carried out.

It may be mentioned here that to operate a truck for brick supply, at least four persons are required to deliver the product at a construction site.

However, due to the lockdown in place and to maintain social distancing the administration is yet to give licence to the owners to operate the vehicles until May 3, 2020.

Concern

| Apr 25 - May 01, 2020

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Cab drivers of Guwahati staring at a bleak future

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smail Ali, president of All Assam Cab Operators’ Association, is a worried man these days. His association members, obviously cab drivers as his association’s name suggests, are sitting idle at home with no idea when they would be able to resume their work.

Soulfully, Ali told G Plus, “We are facing a lot of difficulties and these are very tough times for us.

For many drivers, our main source of income is gone and we have nowhere to go.”

The cab drivers of Guwahati, who were in a thriving or at least a paying profession until just a while back, are in a huge spot of bother. With the lockdown in place, they are now looking at an uncertain and bleak future while struggling to feed their families.

The story becomes even more worrisome considering the large number of people associated with this profession. There are around 5,000 cab drivers in Guwahati alone who are employed with the popular app-based cab services Ola and Uber.

The future, after the lockdown is eventually lifted, is what is bothering Ismail Ali even more.

It is expected that even after the lockdown is lifted, social distancing will remain the norm and people would be avoiding public places and limiting their travels to the extent possible. In such a scenario, the cab operators are not likely to see a considerable spike in the number of customers after the lockdown is lifted.

Given such a scenario, the public transportation system holds a bleak future with the same holding true for auto drivers, e-rickshaw drivers and rickshaw pullers.

Voicing this fear, Ali mentioned, “Even after the government lifts the lockdown, a lot of people would not prefer to travel too much at least for some time. This would again mean that our business will not take off immediately and we might see the implications for the rest of 2020.”

With life as we know it coming to an almost standstill in the midst of coronavirus pandemic and with the country-wide lockdown set to continue till at least May 3, the impact of this lockdown is set to bear down heavily on many sections of society.

Another cab driver based in Guwahati said that their business witnessed a dip since the end of last year when the city witnessed unrest related to the continued Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests.

Looking at their uncertain future, the cab operators have approached the state government with an appeal for help. They have submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner of Kamrup (Metro) district and have demanded for some financial assistance from the government.

They have also requested that no interest should be taken on the EMI for loans for the next three months, in a bid to provide some financial relief to them in this time of crisis.

Further, fed up with the current state of affairs, the cab drivers of Assam told G Plus that if the state government does not

extend any help to them after May 3, then they will be forced to go out of the state in search of livelihood.

Some of the worst affected with the coronavirus crisis include daily wage labourers, migrant workers and those who worked in menial jobs for their livelihood. It remains to be seen if the government will bring out any financial package for them to help them tide over this difficult time.

Representative Image of an app-based cab in Guwahati | G Plus photo

Janasanyog No. 283/20

Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

6 Education Snippets Online classes at MGU taken up in the right earnest

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ith the COVID-19 virus pandemic wrecking havoc around the globe ceaselessly, the whole world has come to a standstill.

In such a grave situation that demands a complete lockdown, Mahatma Gandhi University, Meghalaya, keeping in mind the nationwide closure of educational institutions, has been making keen efforts to provide students online classes by using its own developed Learning Management System (LMS) & by using Zoom too. Even UNESCO is providing all kinds of support to countries in their earnest effort to mitigate the negative consequences of closure of educational institutions facilitating the continuity of education for all through e-learning system.

Mahatma Gandhi University has been trying its best to offer e-learning to the students by adopting various methods.

Following religiously the advice of University Grants Commission and MHRD, Govt. of India, the teachers have shown enthusiasm to provide education taking help from top diverse E-Learning Online.

This shift of attitude of learning process from classroom based teacher-students relationship to technology based bond will surely be fruitful in the long run.

ULFA-I cadres apprehended in Assam

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n a joint operation of Indian Army and Assam Police, five hardcore senior cadres of the United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) were apprehended recently in Charaideo. A large amount of arms and ammunition were also recovered.

Based on an input that five suspicious persons were holed up in a house of Tairai Village in Satianaguri area under Sapekhati PS, a joint operation was launched

by Charaideo District Police led by SP Charaideo and Army unit from Sapekhati COB of 244 Fd Rgt which was led by its CO. The village was completely cordoned off by late evening and a raid was conducted.

The accused have been identified as Arohan Asom, Maina, Yogen Gogoi, Dhrubo Asom, and Chinmoy Asom.

According to the statement, Arohan Asom and Maina are the most wanted cadres of ULFA (I).

Maina is a known IED Expert.

| Apr 25 - May 01, 2020

Social-distancing Will it be possible when schools reopen?

Barasha Das @Barasha_mi2

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or Nivriti Borah, a student of class 1, studying in a private school of Guwahati, the lockdown is just sooooo boring!

She used to love her holidays just when the unit tests were about to start as she no longer had to study. But this “holiday” is unlike all the other that were so enjoyable. This one is sad, boring and to top it there is daily homework. She can’t go to her mama’s place in Jorhat as she did earlier. She cannot go out for movies. No eating in restaurants. And then, she can’t even play with her friends in the neighbourhood.

She did not even go shopping with her parents for Bihu. And there were no ice creams and balloons in the Bihu-tolis that she was looking forward to.

All this, dear Nivriti, is because of the lockdown: a critical situation for all those who understand the significance of the step that was taken. For Nivriti’s parents it’s a time to worry about financial issues, availability of essential goods & services and to offer prayers to overcome this pandemic.

With social-distancing found to be the foremost means to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, the educational institutions were the first to close down.

Educational institutions see large gatherings daily. Of these, it is the schools and mostly its lower classes that are mainly worrisome. Although these young preschoolers and children might be the least vulnerable to the Covid-19, they also remain oblivious of the crisis.

Parents and teachers have been trying their level best to make them understand the pandemic that has hit the world. Also, elders are trying to imbibe in kids the good habits of washing hands, sanitization, other practices of hygiene and most importantly, social distancing. But do children really understand? Can they be expected to fully understand

Representative Image of a normal classroom in a government school in Guwahati | G Plus photo these concepts?

For most of our kids it has been a long vacation. For the CBSE students who were just about to start the new academic session, the lockdown happened giving them an extended vacation. For the students of SEBA this is an unexpectedly long holiday, just when the unit tests were about to start.

However, from a kid’s perspective the holidays seem to have extended way too long and without the usual fun.

So, does she Nivriti know about social-distancing?

“Yes. Ma said I must stay away from my friends, were face mask and wash my hands and study,” Nivriti promptly retorted.

So what will she do when school reopens?

“I will meet all my friends, play with them.....lots ...and lots. We will play hide and seek, passing the parcel and many more. I will talk and talk with them and have ice cream in the shop near our school. They have my favourite strawberry ice cream,” she said.

For the kids, they have memorised the measures, rather ‘rules’ of going to school.

The rules are: wear a face mask, wash your hands, sanitize and don’t go near your friends.

But there is no certainty as to how much these rules will be followed.

Nivriti’s mother, obviously worried, said, “We do not want schools to open for some time.

The longer they are kept closed the better, at least for the lower sections. Parents will put a mask on them, but as soon as they reach school they are sure to remove it. Either they will feel hot or will take it off while eating their tiffins. Excuses are endless, always. I know teachers are there, but it’s not easy to manage this lot.”

“My opinion is that studies have come to a virtual stop.

The school is offering online classes, videos and write ups.

But for the kids, it’s more like a vacation. Also online studies are new to them and difficult to understand. However, it’s better this way than to falling ill,” she added.

Kids are difficult to be kept away from friends even when someone contracts a regular contagious disease like seasonal flu, normal viral fever, conjunctivitis, etc. So how are they to understand COVID-19 that is completely new even to the experts?

Will they understand socialdistancing? If so, will they follow the rules or go by instinct?

The government might open the educational institutions after the lockdown period, citing the lapse in academic sessions. But have scientifically measured steps been taken as to how to manage the huge numbers of school-going kids?

Although most parents prefer to keep their child at home and opt for online studying, the same might not sound completely feasible in the long run. However, the government along with the schools and child experts need to come up with measures to tackle the issue at hand - social distancing amongst kids if schools are to be opened anytime soon.

City

| Apr 25 - May 01, 2020

7

The feel-good side of Lockdown Guwahati Police assists in the birth of a new resident Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

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oung Gautam Goenka of Guwahati was desperate and with good measure.

His wife was in the most advanced stage of her pregnancy and it was a nationwide lockdown that he had to subvert to reach his hospital – no mean a distance by any standards from his residence in Bharalumukh to Pratiksha Hospital on the 6 MileNarangi VIP Road.

In his desperation, he resorted to Twitter. “Kindly suggest me as to how can I go to Pratiksha Hospital from Bharalumukh for check up of my pregnant (9 month)

wife. I don’t have a personal car.

Can I borrow from any friend for the same. Will traffic police penalize us for the same,” tweeted Goenka.

And to this, the Assam Police reacted! It replied within minutes and asked Guwahati Police to address the issue. All on Twitter!

Goenka’s contact details were shared with a team of Guwahati Police under Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) who reached out to him over phone and offered all the necessary help.

Mr and Mrs Goenka reached their hospital on time and after successful and timely medical attention of Mrs Goenka, the

couple was blessed with a baby boy. Sure enough and to the delight of all in Guwahati who were following his “ordeal,” Goenka tweeted: “It’s a baby boy.

Thank you for your service in this difficult time.”

The Assam Police has been winning the hearts of netizens during these tough times that arose due to corona virus outbreak. The active social media team of Assam police has been acting upon tweets and Facebook messages and providing all kinds of help to the citizens.

Elaborating on the Goenka incident, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime), Jayant Singh informed G Plus, “The Assam Police already has a system in place wherein we have sensitized all traffic police personnel to help people during medical emergencies. In this particular incident, Mr Goenka was only concerned about movement to and fro hospital and we helped him with the same.”

He further added that by the time the concerned person provided the police with his contact details and was contacted, he had already reached hospital as his wife was in labour.

Since the traffic police personnel had been briefed beforehand to comply with such citizens and help facilitate their movement, the couple faced no problems in commuting to the hospital.

Further, speaking to G Plus about the swift action of the police in helping citizens cope with the lockdown, Salik Khan, the creative consultant of Assam Police’s

social media pages expressed, “Ever since the lockdown came into effect, it has been part of our efforts to help people in situations such as medical emergency, food shortage and relief drives. We have been trying our best to provide real time help to the citizens.”

Many other similar instances of Assam Police playing good Samaritans have also taken place during the lockdown period.

Distributing dry rations and vegetables amongst the vulnerable families affected by the lockdown, helping private organizations, NGOs and individuals in distributing cooked meals, ensuring the well-being of abandoned animals by feeding them, providing shelter to the homeless and medicine to the elderly are some of the steps taken by the police personnel of the state.

Assam Police has also been

taking efforts to ensure the wellbeing of abandoned animals.

Police personnel, along with IHRO and other NGOs have been feeding dogs and cattle in various parts of Guwahati.

“During the days of lockdown, we are trying to reiterate our pledge to continue serving the nation and its people with unflinching commitment. Many individuals, NGOs, restaurants, apartments, private organizations and individuals have come forward to help us serve the needy during these difficult times and we are really thankful for their support. Assam police shall continue to serve its people,” expressed Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, Director General of Police, Assam, speaking to G Plus.

Such initiatives by the Assam Police have been widely applauded by the people.

8 Education

| Apr 25 - May 01, 2020

Lockdown blues: The dilemma of Guwahati’s high-schoolers “I am worried about my son’s future, but don’t think degrees without health would help,” a parent Barasha Das @Barasha_mi2

N

ilabh Kashyap, who was appearing for the HSLC exams said, “I have still one paper left. I am not sure when the exams will be conducted again. I study for that paper but I am also taking online coaching classes to prepare for class XI. And I am not sure when will I take an admission and where.”

For Rishi Baruah, who had always wanted to pursue higher studies abroad, those are distant dreams now. “I wanted to do my graduation from Delhi University and then shift abroad. But I am not sure if I can go to even Delhi this year,” he said.

For students who were appearing for their 10th and 12th board examinations, things came to an abrupt halt. Many are yet to finish with all their papers.

In normal circumstances, students who had appeared for the final boards spend their days after the examinations planning on their next phase of life: new schools, dreaming of calling oneself a college or university student and looking ahead boldly at the much anticipated adulthood. Colleges and universities are searched for, many dream of moving to new places, make plans with ‘besties’ and old gangs to join the same institutions and explore life.

But neither are these times normal nor the worries of the students the same.

For those who are not done with their examinations, these holidays are troublesome.

Whether to prepare further for the remaining papers or worry about the new admissions? Many aren’t even sure whether they will get another chance to meet up with old pals before they go their

separate ways.

“I could not even meet my friends from schools. We made so many plans for after the exams as we were busy studying hard last year. I don’t think that will be possible now. My school life just ended,” said Nilabh.

“I cannot deny that India is doing better than many developed countries which I had imagined to be far superior. Even if I cannot go outside India, I can happily pursue my dreams here,” said Rishi.

The parents of these young Guwahatians are pretty firm in their belief that the health of their children come first.

Rishi’s father said, “These tough times teach us how to be united and work for society. I am worried about my son’s future and so are all other parents, I believe. But without good health I don’t think just higher degrees will be of any help.”

According to him and most other parents, studies can always be undertaken after the pandemic is over and the country is in a much safer situation.

“Our children are the future of the country. And this is a good time to see and learn for themselves what it is to be a responsible citizen. My son wants to be a civil servant. I know it won’t be possible to have regular classes even when the lockdown is lifted. I don’t mind that. Students can always work a little harder when times are back to normal and attend a few more hours of classes. It is for their own benefit,” said Manshi Kashyap, Nilabh’s mother.

Manashree Das, a student of class XII in the science stream, was worried more about her practicals. “I am not sure how we will learn the practical experiments. When experiments are done many students clutter

Representative Image of a normal classroom in a government school in Guwahati | G Plus photo around and the teacher shows us the experiment step-by-step.

But we will have to maintain social-distancing now. Will it be possible?”

While most students and guardians do not wish to lose an academic year, everyone has agreed that health comes first.

Rishi’s father, who works for LIC suggested, “We at LIC have been asked to attend office every two days as only 33 percent of the employees are allowed. Can’t a similar formula be applied to the schools and colleges? Students of each class can be divided into two to three groups and each group can attend class alternately. The school hours can be extended. I don’t think any parent will have a problem with that.”

Some parents also wanted the syllabus to be shortened.

Manashree said, “I don’t mind attending online classes for the

theory lessons. Although it is unlike the classes we attend at school and difficult to understand, it gives us a lot of time to see the videos over and over again. Also I am getting lot of time to do other interesting things, to pursue my hobbies.”

“But I would ask the government to allow us to attend practical classes. I want to be a doctor and the biology practicals are very important for me,” she added.

Although online classes have benefitted a majority of the students as almost all private schools of Guwahati are conducting online lessons, many students are also facing difficulties due to internet issues. However, students from outside the city and mostly from the rural areas of the state have complained of being left behind as they could not attend these online classes due

to lack of internet or some even due to non-availability of proper android phones and laptops.

At some point the government needs to open up schools and colleges. However, taking up suggestions from the students, guardians and teachers, measures could be taken on how to maintain social-distancing alongside the continuation of regular curriculum.

Students of higher classes are at a crucial stage of their academic life. However, they do understand the gravity of the situation. Many have come up with feasible ideas like online classes for theory and only practical session at schools, more study hours, shorter syllabus etc.

They are ready to accept the government’s decision for their future that would be made keeping the containment of the deadly virus upfront. n

Weather report for the week Guwahati

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In The News

| Apr 25 - May 01, 2020

9

Lockdown Impact: Streaming platforms become the new normal for movie watching The Who’s Who of Assam’s entertainment industry is spending their lockdown days streaming on OTT platforms. Rima Das, producer Shahnaab Alam and documentary filmmaker Samujjal Kashyap are all watching movies online, calling it the way forward.

Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

F

or a cine buff Shiv Sharma with little time on his hands to pursue his passion, the lockdown period has been all about catching up on the numerous movies and sitcoms he had missed earlier due to his busy work schedules. From watching one movie a month at cinema halls to watching 2 movies a day lying on his sofa, it’s been quite a cinematic journey for him.

“Ever since the lockdown was announced, I have been spending maximum time on my sofa, binge-watching all the movies I had missed earlier or those that were not released on the big screen. Not being able to go out of the house has made me buy memberships of three different streaming platforms to keep myself entertained during these hard times,” he exclaimed.

With the entertainment industry coming to a halt due to the lockdown and movie halls being shut, many people like Shiv have switched to subscription based streaming platforms for movie

watching, making it the new normal in their lives.

While the lockdown has greatly impacted the entertainment industry, the Over-The-Top (OTT) media platforms are booming. Some of the prominent players are Netflix, Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, Voot, Sony Liv, Jio TV etc.

The Who’s Who of Assam’s entertainment industry, too, is spending their lockdown days streaming on OTT platforms.

From national award winning film director Rima Das to acclaimed producer Shahnaab Alam and documentary filmmaker Samujjal Kashyap, everyone’s been watching movies online, calling it the way forward.

“We are truly lucky to have witnessed technological advancements to such an extent that all kinds of entertainment are now available online. Being stuck in Mumbai, away from home, I have been spending my time exploring the great pieces of art available online,” Rima Das of Village Rockstar fame told G Plus.

What’s interesting is that two of Rima Das’ award winning films are available on the popular streaming site, Netflix – Village Rockstar and Bulbul Can Sing.

Das feels immensely happy about her movies reaching global audience, even during lockdown.

Similarly, Shahnaab Alam, independent film producer and the man behind Bhoga Khirikee reiterated on the massive prominence of online streaming sites.

“It is truly the era of digital sites.

It’s

streaming the era

of

Representative image of kids enjoying a movie on a streaming platform transitioning from traditional to digital media. While this transitional phenomenon was already taking place, coronavirus has fast forwarded the trend of consuming media from the comfort of home,” he said.

While the release of Bhoga Khirikee got stalled first because of protests against Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and now due to the coronavirus outbreak, there are talks of the film releasing online anytime soon.

The sudden outbreak and its consequent lockdown led to stalling of a lot of projects and film releases. However, some saw the light of the day by getting released online.

One classic example of the same is Angrezi Medium. The Covid-19 outbreak brought the world to a standstill in the second week of March, which coincidentally, also happened to be the week when the Irrfan Khan-Kareena Kapoor starrer ‘Angrezi Medium’ was all set to hit the theatres. After its theatrical release was cut short

due to lockdown, it was released online on Hotstar.

Many other artists are also choosing to release their produces online.

On April 22, popular Assamese singer Angaraag Papon Mahanta released a new single to beat the lockdown blues. The new song ‘Paar Hobo Xei Xomoy’ (This Too Shall Pass) has been created, performed and shot by Papon himself during the lockdown period. Released on the occasion of Earth Day, the song aims at spreading hope and positivity.

Papon also organized a threeday virtual concert on Instagram on the occasion of Bihu, wherein he was joined by some famous singers from Bollywood and the Assamese folk industry.

With such activities happening online, internet traffic has surged so much that it raised concerns among the central government of India and the telecom operators about the potential impact on the cellular network infrastructure.

“The digital industry has decided to act immediately

in the larger national and consumer interest and to ensure the robustness of the cellular network. It was unanimously agreed that as an exceptional measure, all companies will immediately adopt measures, including temporarily defaulting HD and ultra-HD streaming to SD content or offering only SD content, at bitrates no higher than 480p on cellular networks.

These voluntary measures will be in effect until April 14,” reads a media statement released by the stakeholders which include Netflix, Hotstar, Amazon, Google, Sony and Zee authorities.

Further, a source in the telecom sector informed G Plus that the telecom companies are trying to make data streaming process smooth for their customers.

“With most people staying at home, online streaming has increased tremendously.

So, we are trying to make the network clutter-free for better experience,” the source said.

10 Business

| Apr 25 - May 01, 2020

Billion dollar NE piggery industry incurring losses due to misinformation Confusion and misunderstanding over the concepts of Swine Flu (H1N1) and Classical Swine Fever hits industry hard Barasha Das @Barasha_mi2

T

he North East Progressive Pig Farmers’ Association (NEPPFA), an umbrella body of more than 500 commercial pig farmers, organised a press meet on 21st April last. The main motive behind the press meet was to clarify the misconceptions about the different types of diseases in pigs.

“The government should also facilitate the selling and home delivery of pork like other non-veg items. The Tezpur administration has permitted us to do so but other districts haven’t done so as of yet,” Manoj Basumatary Manoj Kumar Basumatary, President of NEPPFA and Dr Dhireshwar Kalita, Principal Scientist, Assam Agricultural University, addressing the meet, cited the difference between Swine Flu (H1N1) and Classical Swine Fever, after many livestock died this year due to the seasonal fever prevalent among reared pigs. The same was misinformed amongst masses as the dreaded Swine Flu (H1N1).

While the H1N1 flu is a viral disease that attacks humans as well, the Classical Swine Fever,

although viral, does not attack humans.

The latter is a regular seasonal flu occurring mostly during the spring season and pigs can be vaccinated from its infection.

The association further clarified that World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the H1N1 influenza event to have moved to a post pandemic period.

The flu, which attacks human beings, cannot be contracted by consumption of pork products.

The press meet also discussed various guidelines to tackle the classical swine flu that had killed a large number of pigs in some districts of the state like Sivasagar, Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Nagaon.

Pig farmers are advised to vaccinate their pigs and properly dispose-off the dead pigs by either burying them at minimum 3-4 feet depth underground or burning them.

Manoj Basumatary, speaking to G Plus said, “Many farmers were found to have disposed of the dead infected pigs in the rivers and other water bodies.

This has helped in spreading the disease as the virus might have spread through air, from birds, etc.”

Further farmers are to follow proper biosecurity to avoid any outbreaks in farms and vaccine protocols like booster doses, cold chain, etc must be taken care of.

Appeal was made to facilitate ample availability of the vaccine and mass production of the same at the Khanapara Biological Centre. Vaccination camps must also be organised. Basumatary informed that memorandums had been submitted in this regard to the chief minister as well as the state agricultural minister.

Another major issue addressed was the non-availability of enough feeds. The government

A scientific piggery in Guwahati | G Plus photo was asked to provide feeds like sapor, rice polish and broken rice for the farms. Wastages in FCI warehouses should also be made available to livestock farmers through public distribution system (PDI).

NEPPFA also asked the state government to address crucial issues like animal life insurance.

“As per the National Livestock Mission, farmers need to pay in around 20 percent of the premium amount and the rest of the amount is sent by the central government to the states. This scheme should be implemented across the state as very limited farmers have availed the benefit of the same. Crores of amounts are funded but it remains unutilized by the veterinary department,” he added.

Claiming pig farming is at

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a developing stage with huge potential the association pointed out that many educated youths from Assam and the nearby regions have taken it up on commercial basis.

Basumatary claims, “Although a neglected sector, the piggery farming can accommodate a lot of youth who will be returning to the state from various other places due to job crisis. It will prove to be a boon for the state economy as well.”

Currently Assam is not selfsufficient and has to import pork from outside the state to cater to its needs. With government intervention the state can even export pork as the industry is growing at a rapid pace.

Talking about the difficulties faced by the industry during the lockdown period, Manoj

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Basumatary said, “The government should also facilitate the selling and home delivery of pork like other non-veg items.

The Tezpur administration has permitted us to do so but other districts haven’t done so as of yet.”

“The government must also help us with live animal transportation within the state as many small farmers are incurring losses due to the lockdown,” he added.

As per the 20th Census from 2012 to 2019, Assam has the largest number of pigs in the country. And the northeast region alone consumes around 4.26 lakh metric tonnes, which is 65 percent of the country’s pork meat. The pork market of the northeastern region amounts to more than one billion US dollars.

Guest Column

| Apr 25 - May 01, 2020

11

COVID-19 or Climate Change Which is the real killer?

T

Bipasha Saikia

Bishaldeep Kakati

he global doors of connectivity have been locked up owing to the outbreak of COVID-19.

The race to flatten the pandemic curve can be learnt from the drastic containment measures by governments across the globe. The acute seriousness shown towards COVID-19 has also raised questions on the casual approach of the world community to the parallel threat of climate change.

If we analyze the lingering threats to the mortal world, climate change tops the list.

Theoretically speaking, climate change is the catch-all term for the shift in the worldwide weather phenomena associated with an increase in the global average temperature.

NASA defines it as: “a broad range of global phenomena created predominantly by burning fossil fuels, which add heat-trapping gases to Earth’s atmosphere… that encompass changes such as sea level rise; ice mass loss in

Data from NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment shows that Greenland lost an average of 286 billion tons of ice per year between 1993 and 2016, while Antarctica lost about 127 billion tons of ice per year during the same time period.

Greenland, Antarctica, the Arctic and mountain glaciers worldwide; …and extreme weather events.”

Recent voices from the United Nations have warned that we are left with a mere decade to prevent irreversible damage from climate change.

The planet’s average surface temperature has risen about 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit since the late 19th century, a major cause of species extinction. Melting polar caps are distorting the Earth’s equilibrium by not reflecting the sunlight back into space. Data from NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment shows that Greenland lost an average of 286 billion tons of ice per year between 1993 and 2016, while Antarctica lost about 127 billion tons of ice per year during the same time period. Glaciers over

Himalayas, Alps, Andes, Rockies and Alaska are retreating and satellite observations show that the snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere has decreased over the past five decades. Sea level rose about 8 inches in the last century, threatening low-lying areas. Acidification of oceans, known as ‘carbon sinks’ acidification is posing a serious threat to underwater life. Stepping into the 21st century, catastrophic events like hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis etc. are becoming everyday occurrences. As per World Disaster Report of 2011, from 2001 -2010, a whopping 13,13,183 people have been reportedly killed due to natural disasters and a staggering 267,64,16,290 have been injured.

According to the World Health Organization, “climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year” between 2030 and 2050.

The practical evidence of the effects of climate change indeed paints a petrifying picture of an approaching doomsday.

The only difference between the global phenomena of climate change and COVID-19 is that- to the human eyes, the effects of climate change are prolonged and seems to be happening at a much slower rate because of which we are casual about the negative repercussions of it unlike the conspicuous deadly outcome of COVID-19, that is pushing humanity to act in an emergency-mode. If predictions are to go by, it cannot be denied that in the longer run, the calamitous impact of climate change would create a scenario even more dangerous than that of COVID-19.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was categorical to point out that climate change is real and humans are the cause behind this. At the historic Earth Summit, 1992, the world community came together to prevent “dangerous” human interference with the climate system. The Kyoto Protocol, 1995, the world’s first green house gas (GHG) emission reduction treaty, being ratified by 197 Parties was instrumental in legally binding countries to observe reduced emission targets. Efforts for a sustainable low carbon future led nations to formulate the Paris Agreement of 2015 that brought in voluntary commitments and nationally determined contributions (NDCs), devoid of all the enforcement mechanism and asked of nations to track their progress every five years to limit the global temperature

rise this century below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and cap the same at 1.5 degrees Celsius. However, more and more evidence is mounting that countries aren’t doing enough of what they stated and the worst thing is that still majority of such pledges made by 184 countries of the Agreement are not adequate enough in the first place for the

realization of such a massive goal.

It is time the climate change deniers acknowledge its truth by adopting stern measures akin to COVID-19. Declaration of climate change as an “emergency”, as scientists have been warning for a long time, would accelerate the response. Quick response can mitigate the effects of a pandemic.

South Korea’s aggressive containment measures were a success causing little damage to the nation’s economy unlike

the United States that refused to face facts and is staring at more economic and social harm. The global community is fighting this pandemic with a kind of cooperation never seen before.

The effects of climate change can be combated with such levels of coordination. Humanity must learn that global challenges have no national borders. No nation is immune to their catastrophic consequences.

While the vulnerable are

always the first target in any negative phenomena, the rest of us are not spared either. We are all staring at our extinction by brushing alarming concerns of climate change under the carpet. A Report by a panel of world-class climate scientists, “The Truth Behind the Paris Agreement Climate Pledges,” warns that by 2030, the failure to reduce emissions will cost the

world a minimum of $2 billion per day in economic losses from weather events made worse by human-induced climate change.

Aggressive measures based on Common-but-differentiated Responsibility are warranted.

For this, leadership must come from all quarters- governments should strengthen their pledges, the private sector must engage in sustainable and innovative business and individuals must engage in global climate strikes to fuel the other sectors and switch to a low-carbon lifestyle by altering consumption patterns.

However, a rush to resuscitate a bruised global economy might push the agenda of climate change to the back.

Shane Skelton, former energy advisor to U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan makes a valid point when she stated that, “confronting a crisis is far more difficult and expensive when it’s already on your doorstep.

The gross amount of money spent, and the disruption to the economy, is far less when you invest in prevention than in managed chaos and recovery” and that is a lesson this pandemic has brought in to our doorsteps.

We need to imbibe lessons from this unprecedented crisis and tackle climate change with the same ferocity. In fact, in the longer run, discovery of a vaccine might be able to tackle COVID-19, but same might not be the case for the drastic affect of climate change. Hence the right approach is the definite need of the hour.

(The views expressed in the article are the writers’ own. G Plus may or may not conform to the same)

12 In The News

| Apr 25 - May 01, 2020

Leveraging Social Media, the Assam Police way!

“The power of social media is when it is built on top of real activity.” – Anonymous Sidharth Bedi Varma @sid_bv

T

his quote sets the baseline for what can be considered one of the most effective uses of social media seen in a long time. They aren’t influencers, they aren’t models, they aren’t digital creators – these are stories of people working in the front lines of the Assam Police to combat the COVID–19 pandemic.

Using Social Media

The Assam Police revamped their Social Media approach sometime around July 2018, with the agenda for better public outreach, controlling spread of fake news, effective communication and positive image building. Over the past year, Assam Police’s social media handles have been a source of verified information, achievements and updates and public service campaigns designed with quirk to relate to its younger audience. Soon after, the Assam Police SMART Social Media Centre for cyber patrolling called ‘Nagarik Mitra’ was launched and hundreds of profiles on various social media platforms were scanned and police were able to apprehend many for spreading fake news.

Dealing with COVID – 19

While Assam Police’s social media presence took flight after a series of creative and witty content on Twitter which saw engagement from artists like Kajol, Shahrukh Khan and Rohit Shetty, Assam Police stayed true to the goal of on-ground action.

The Assam Police set up the Senior Citizens’ Helpline to cater to the emergency medical needs of senior citizens as the lockdown continues. For this, four dedicated helpline numbers were activated by the Assam Police on 16th April, 2020.

The phone lines dealt with 2,207 phone calls from Assam and 28,412 phone calls from outside the state. Accepting that COVID-19 is psychologically stressful, Assam Police in association with department of Psychiatry, GMCH & Clinical Psychologists/Psychiatric Social Workers, launched mental health helplines earlier in April for those in need of mental health care & support. So far, over 300 people have been given counseling by the helpline numbers.

Over the past month, Assam Police, aided by various NGOs and civil society members have

supported over 75,000 families and over 2 lakh individuals. Their efforts led to distribution of over 5 lakh kgs of food materials which include rice, pulses, edible oil, vegetables and fruits. Apart from this, Assam Police ensured the delivery of medicines to all those who requested for it. Till now, medicines have been provided to over 4,800 individuals.

Their work on social media is reaching out to over 19 million people on Facebook, around 2.5 million on Twitter and WhatsApp messages are being sent to all personnel to spread in their social networks.

The individual efforts of the Core

With no orders issues from above, several personnel of the Assam Police voluntarily came forward as ‘Corona Warriors’ to support those less privileged.

Apart from the long hours of work, they went out of their way to mobilize funds and relief material for various areas they were posted in. <embed tweet https:// twitter.com/MorigaonPolice/ tatus/1248636216523788289?s=09> Earlier in March, Constable Ratul Gogoi of 1st APBn conducted an awareness program at Miripathar village at Sivasagar and distributed masks and Dettol hand wash among 150 villagers. On the same day he distributed pens and copies to 65 students of the same village.

A week later, Gogoi supported

by SSB Constable Surjyajyoti Burhagohain distributed materials such as soap, edible oil, vegetables etc to about 80 households in Garhbhoga, Bakpara and Naojaan villages. <embed tweet https:// twitter.com/Barpeta_Police/ atus/1252272906492694530?s=09> WPC Himani Roy of Panbari PS and Nayanmani Deka of Barpeta outpost lent a helping hand and distributed ration and financial aid, from their own pockets, to some families in their area.

Another wonderful story came from Kokhrajhar as ASI Angaraj Chetri reached out to over 619 households and made a collection of Rs. 8,000 from his team and added Rs. 10,000 from his own pocket to make it a sizeable contribution. G Plus spoke to ASI Chetri about what prompted this action. “When the earthquake struck Nepal in 2015, there was nothing much I could do being posted at my job.

Various images of Assam Police offering help and food to the needy | G Plus photo

I sent in a month’s salary from my pocket and understood the pains that people had to undergo in times of crisis like these. In that moment, I realized that even the smallest contribution that I would make would benefit the people greatly. I discussed with my team and they gladly came on-board.

Everyone donated various amounts ranging from Rs. 500 to Rs. 3,000. I used this money to buy pulses, rice, oil and other essentials and distributed

this among the people. I saw the poorest of the poor suffer and donated an additional Rs. 10,000 from my savings.”

Looking out not just for Humans

Of course, humans are not the only victims of the COVID-19 pandemic. A few volunteers came forward for “man’s best friend.”

Assam Police served and cared for over 3000 stray animals in the

past month by feeding them and given the treatment as required. <embed tweet: https:// twitter.com/assampolice/ status/1251930920652849152?s=12> With Assam Police responding to queries on Social Media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and its 13 Helplines on a 24x7 basis to ensure action, ADGP Assam, Harmeet Singh said, “Realising that the Lockdown was causing immense distress and given the fact that we have 60,000+ boots on the ground, the Assam Police decided to devote a large part of its energies to humanitarian work. Ensuring communication and personalising them is critical in such times of crisis. We are responding to requests in a real time manner to ensure that those in need are provided relief or services as required. Not only are we facilitating movement to hospitals and providing essentials/food, we are also delivering medicines to those in need.”

The real story, however, is the absolutely heartening response from the Core of the Assam Police, the constabulary and junior ranks, who have gone out of their way, spending from their own pockets to provide relief to the underprivileged. n

Guest Column

| Apr 25 - May 01, 2020

13

Is Arnab Goswami Assam’s pride or shame? The Nation wants to know…

Arnab rose in hierarchy and hopped channels till he became the all-in-all at Republic TV. Thus, he gives every reason for every Assamese to feel proud of him, to shine in reflected glory.

His vilification of fellow Assamese Papon, and that too with venomous viciousness, didn’t endear him to many here. Today, we are left with hardly any reason why we should celebrate Arnab’s ethnicity.

O

ne might wonder who the most famous Assamese in the country is.

Well, many names like Bhupen Hazarika, Papon, Saint Sankaradeva, Zubeen Garg, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Deba Kanta Barooah, Jahnu Baruah, Parvin Sultana etc shall be put forward. However, if one analyzes each of the different names mentioned (or not mentioned), one would discover that while they are surely famous, they have their own set of people amongst whom they are well known. None can really claim a pan India fame, much less international fame.

Arguably, if there is one person whose name has at least been heard by a good majority of Indians and even beyond our country’s borders, it is definitely that of Mr Arnab Goswami.

However, one should not confuse familiarity with popularity.

If the question was who is the most popular Assamese in the country, to all probability Arnab’s name would not feature even in the top five! From NDTV to Times Now and now on to his own Republic TV, he has carved a niche for himself in the field of television journalism. Whether that niche is of fame or notoriety is a perception that depends on which side of political spectrum one is in.

Arnab is always in the news; rather he is the news!

On a personal note, close to three decades ago, I visited his Guwahati residence for a function. The thing that struck me as I was about to enter was the nameplate of his father Late Manoranjan Goswami right on the gate post. A retired army man, Col Goswami’s degrees were so profuse in number that one needed at least two minutes simply to read them. The same academic brilliance perhaps was inherited by Arnab and his academics would definitely make one proud that he is Assamese by birth. I never met him directly except having seen him as a schoolboy at the residence.

I knew only his sister (elder) and parents briefly, but also concede that his achievements should have made me feel proud of him as a fellow Assamese. He comes from the family of our icons of regionalism - Late Gauri Shanker

Dr Navanil Barua

A grab from Arnab Goswami’s video posted on YouTube Bhattacharchya and Late Dinesh Goswami. His father was a wellknown columnist as well as a socio-political commentator. He tried his hand in politics too as a BJP candidate but didn’t make much headway. As for Arnab himself, one must respect the fact that he chose the uncertain world of journalism whereas he had the academic credentials to chose a more cushy and juicy non-controversial career.

Having jumped into the fray, he gradually started hogging the limelight with his brand of aggressive journalism. He started specializing in talk shows and changed the concept of the anchor being just an anchor in holding the discussants together to the anchor being the key person setting the tone of the discussion. The novelty of his approach was lapped up by the viewers and he soon became very popular. He also rose in hierarchy and also changed channels till he became the allin-all at Republic TV. Thus, he gives every reason for every Assamese to feel proud of him, to shine in reflected glory.

Then why is it that the topical question has arisen today?

Why is it that not all Assamese are proud of him or even, on the contrary, consider him a subject of Assam’s shame? If at

Top journalist and editor of Republic TV, Arnab Goswami, was attacked on his way home last night allegedly by “Congress” goons.

Goswami took to YouTube to narrate the incident. Giving specific timings and locations Goswami spoke about the incident in graphic detail. In this article, the author reflects on the incident, Goswami’s strange reaction to the episode and debates where this places him in the eyes of the Assamese. all anyone is to be blamed for this, it is Arnab himself. The

very style which brought him such huge success became his liability as he started overdoing it. He became abusive at times and also downright dismissive to the point of humiliating his guests on his shows. His brand of journalism veered from less news to more views. His variable standards on similar issues became apparent. When a standup comedian treated him to the same treatment he metes out to others, it became a national joke! He lost his sense of journalistic propriety and became openly supportive of one particular narrative. His agenda got so partial that he ended up facing police complaints on his communal ranting.

From a successful journalist, he degenerated into a political spokesperson of one particular narrative and his comments often came tantalizingly close to the illegality of breeding communal disharmony.

He claimed to have been attacked by goons of another political party - a claim now questioned by many. A similar claim of attack by a tribe of the very goons he defends these days way back in 2002, has been openly pooh-poohed by many other journalists and they didn’t stop at calling him a blatant liar. Also, as a line of thought,

succumbing to the temptation of coming on social media (as does any Hari, Jadu or Madhu these days) to complain rather than approach the police as the first step (which is the legal thing to do) does not augur well for a journalist of his stature besides raising questions on his motive. As for his home state, although he was honoured as “Assamese of the Year” some years ago, he is hardly fluent in his mother tongue. He barely focuses on Assam’s issues in the national scene and has not really cared about our problems.

His vilification of fellow Assamese Papon, and that too with venomous viciousness didn’t endear him to many here.

Hence, we are left with hardly any cause where we should celebrate Arnab’s ethnicity. He had all opportunity to be there for Assam, to make us proud.

Today, I personally see no reason to feel proud of him as a fellow Assamese! I tested social media and my views found echo in many! Far from being proud, I fear he is an Assamese liability for one thing and an embarrassment surely. I am also aware that there shall be some who are indeed proud of him but it probably is related to their political preference which Arnab so eloquently espouses! I remain apologetic that he is an Assamese and would prefer to not claim so to the uninitiated.

Not that my opinion or opinion of Assam really matters to him – and I am acutely aware of that!

(The author is a neuro surgeon by profession and a sociopolitical activist by choice. The views expressed in the article are his own. G Plus may or may not subscribe to the same)

14 G Talk E

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Knee-jerking around

s we follow the news of the day [and midnight which is when the union ministry of home affairs (MHA) seems prone to drop the latest bombshells], one thing has become abundantly clear.

There seems to be just no coordination or consultation between the state of Assam and the central government in this combat against Covid-19.

Sample this: last midnight (the cusp of 24th and 25th April), the MHA issued an order which basically implied that all markets in rural and semi-rural areas will be open (non-essential items can be sold in all kinds of shops in a rural area), market complexes in urban (municipal) areas cannot open for business, and non-essential goods can be sold in urban areas provided that the shop in question is located in a residential area or is a standalone shop (also provided that the shop is registered under the Shops & Establishment Act). Great news indeed for normalizing the situation and since it was an MHA directive, it was purported to be applicable for the whole country.

But no! Come morning, the order first sent Assam’s ADGP (Law & Order), GP Singh, into overdrive to issue a clarification tweet that the MHA directive would not apply to Assam immediately.

The state government’s directive in this regard is to be awaited. Thereafter, to reiterate his ADGP’s stance, the Chief Secretary, Kumar Sanjay Krishna, also took to Twitter through the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) to say that any decision that might be in conformity with the directive of the MHA, will be taken by the state government on 27th April (Monday next) and until then it is status quo.

Now, this is just the latest instance of something that has almost become a habit with our governments.

Remember, the Ravi Shankar Prasad tweet that private establishments would be open from 20th April and the scurry of the local dispensation to nullify the same? Point is, we Indian citizens are going through an emergency that is unprecedented for us and given that we are in Assam, the full onslaught of the emergency is yet to hit us.

And so, it is natural for us to take things lightly. But this kind of knee-jerk reactions from our government is not only unwarranted but only contributes in creating unnecessary confusion and even panic at times and so the governments need to show more maturity in this regard.

Swapnil Bharali (Editor) @swapnilbharali

Where is our CM? In the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, we’ve learnt two important things. One, that Assam has done a commendable job in flattening the curve and containing the spread of the virus which several other states have failed to do. Two; that Himanta Biswa Sarma has emerged as the torch bearer in this fight against the COVID -19 pandemic. So much so that the Assam Chief Minster is nowhere to be seen…I’ll correct myself, he is being seen but he’s been deputed to mere face-mask distribution activities and photo-ops.

I am sure reaching out to the villagers is an important activity in the entire scheme of things, but it does look like the health minister is gunning for the big finish and most of the credit that comes along with.

The best part is that he’s doing a great job too – timely press conferences, answering press/public queries, visiting/monitoring hotspots and most importantly dealing with public nerves.

I could be wrong about Sarbananda Sonowal not doing anything, or at least that’s what it looks like. But maybe Sonowal needs to position himself a little better in the scheme of things – a little camera time, a little pep-talk.

The point here is that we are all a little disappointed in our Chief Minister not being as proactive as we expect him to be. Look at Kejriwal taking Delhi by storm. Despite all 11 districts in Delhi being hotspots, he’s coming forward and keeping in touch with his people (pun-intended).

If this continues, the answer to ‘who is Assam’s Chief Minster’ would disappoint Sonowal. I am only making this remark after my media friends from outside ask, “tumhara Himanta bohot accha kaam kar raha hai.” And of course, local sentiment is strongly (only) in favour of Sarma.

A little pro-activeness on Sarbananda’s part would go a long way in improving his ‘likeability’. But of course, he has to keep in mind to say the right thing or else, he might end up red-faced again just like after announcing the opening of vegetable shops without much clarity…

Sidharth Bedi Varma @sid_bv

Freedom taken for granted

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rom 20th of this month, a lot of self employed people, e-commerce sites, public works programmes, dairy, agriculture, among others, in a long list of services, have been allowed to function and a lot of other relaxations will follow post May 3. All that joy can be snatched away with a snap of fingers if your locality registers new COVID-19 cases!

With surveillance being stepped up in the country with techbased contact tracing methods, the author wonders if this loss of personal freedom in the name of combating the novel coronavirus could become the new normal in the post pandemic scenario.

Lockdown 2.0 has not only brought along with it anxiety but also fear among some of us and we’re frightened about how ugly things can get from here. Although some might call this a pessimistic way of looking at things, it cannot be denied that the state is now Santa, watching over us and we’re in our homes on our best behaviour, trying to get on his good side, because if we end up on the naughty list, we might not get our presents this Christmas.

The hysteria that has been created by the coronavirus was in fact a predictable one.

Researchers, epidemiologists and virologists have said that this outbreak was foreseen and was not sudden at all.

As ridiculous as it sounds, some people out there suggest that this could be a ‘Problem-ReactionSolution’ case where people in powerful positions, with their hidden agenda, blow things out of proportion, create or magnify a problem and then come up with a solution to resolve that problem so that people accept that which they otherwise wouldn’t have accepted. Could this be an attempt to send out ripples of fear

among the masses, which at the moment, is not only the ‘currency’ of control but also a one-way road leading our society towards totalitarianism?

Nobody knows for real, the actual number of people affected by this virus out there. We only know what mainstream media reports to us from government sources and we are not even sure whether people in power are hiding information or opting a sabotaging mechanism for their political advantage. China, for instance, did not come out earlier which led to spread of the Wuhan virus across the globe. Whatever be the case, the world is in a crisis like never before and we need a way out of this.

Across the globe, various techniques are being experimented with to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

In communist China, some people had their doors welded shut to restrict their movement. Citizens elsewhere are being tracked and monitored through various tracking devices and also through movements recorded on their phones through what is called contact tracing.

In countries like South Korea, China, Taiwan and Singapore, the information collected from telecom companies is being ‘depersonalized’ by making it all anonymous but where does all the information go? Is there the slightest possibility of this information being used against them? Although the method looks effective and breach of privacy is the least of our concerns during testing times like these, what we must still question is – What after this pandemic?

What exactly lies in a postcoronavirus world for us? This is just the beginning and we know that there will only be more pandemics like the COVID-19 in future. There will be more collection of personal data and information; more civil liberties are going to be destroyed. We are letting all this happen and this will be the new ‘Normal’.

George Orwell once wrote, “Almost certainly we are moving into an age of totalitarian dictatorships.” So, could we actually be paving way for and giving in to creation of a

rIllegal forest fires at Khanapara

O pinion Rifa Deka

totalitarian society? Is this leading us, slowly but steadily, towards the architecture of oppression that most leaders have feared in the past?

This pandemic will pass, what will remain are the decisions we make today. These decisions will last for a long time and our future generations will eventually pay the price. This is a moment that will go down in history either as one of those times where the entire human race was brought down to its knees or as one where people collectively worked towards bringing about revolutionary changes by revamping the very structure of how our human society functions.

Whatever be the reason, whatever be the cause, safety has got to be a priority for each one of us right now. Whatever we’re all fighting for or fighting against, we’re in this together.

We’ll all stay home, follow rules of social distancing and help break the chain for now. We’ll let the government make decisions for us and have patience for now.

We’ll let them enforce a nationwide lockdown and we’ll hope for this recession to pass and the economy to revive. ‘We will’ do all this voluntarily because we’re a country 1.3 billion large and nothing can stop us once this force unites; not some powerful cult of people with hidden agenda, not political parties eyeing seats for the next election, not any rival country willing to injure our spine economically, nor some evolved, sophisticated, super easily transmissible and supposedly deadly virus!

Meanwhile, can the State assure us that when all this is over, we’ll have our freedom back?

(The author is a student of Mass Comm at Royal Global University, Guwahati. Views expressed are her own)

Letter to the Editor

As a concerned citizen I have been observing the rapid destruction of forest cover from the hill side adjoining the veterinary college campus at Khanapara. These hills are few of the last remaining green hills of Guwahati with beautiful Teak trees. I have noticed that illegal construction of huts and small houses has suddenly increased in the last 6 months. The hill was fully covered with green forest one year back and now almost the entire hill has been encroached.

On several occasions I have noticed people setting fire to forests at night. The last fires I noticed even during start of lockdown period. I have a feeling that miscreants are taking advantage of people staying indoors during the lockdown period and setting fire to the forest for illegal occupation. I have not seen any forest department official or authority doing anything to stop these illegal activities.

I request the editor and dedicated journalists of G Plus to make a detailed story of these illegal activities destroying last remaining forest covers of Guwahati to bring to notice of concerned authorities.

Your attention and coverage will save the last remaining greenery around our city.

Dibyamohan Hazarika, Khanapara, Guwahati

In Focus

| Apr 25 - May 01, 2020

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Poor people without ration cards to get 5 kgs rice per month: CM Sonowal G Plus News @guwahatiplus

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hief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, in a meeting held with the Kamrup District Administration on April 20, said that the state government will be providing 5 kgs of rice per month to each member of those families who are genuinely poor and does not hold ration cards under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).

This decision was made to help the poor and needy sections of the society who are left without any help from the government due to non-availability of proper documents.

Sonowal also took stock of the availability of food stocks with the Food Corporation of India (FCI). He visited the godowns of FCI at Noonmati, Changsari and the Changsari Railway Yard.

The FCI has reported the availability of enough stocks to cater to the needs of the state for two and a half months.

Further, CM Sonowal has asked the veterinary and agriculture departments of the state to work in coordination with the Food and Civil Supplies Department

to facilitate smooth supply of essential commodities and also to devise new and innovative means for the same.

The Food and Civil Supplies Department was also asked to keep a regular check on wholesalers regarding price rise of essentials goods.

Guwahatians took to the social media handles of G Plus and shared their views on this move taken by the government.

Doubting the implementation process Brajamani Laisom said, “I hope it doesn’t go to their own party workers from senior to ground level. Can’t even say tag along a representative from the opposition party as they might collaborate. Only hope is if it is distributed under the watchful eyes of a magistrate or a reputed public figure. Finding out genuine needy among the urban poor without ration cards and Jan Dhan account holders will be tough.

Still, it is a good effort by the CM.” Another citizen Ajoy Thakuria said, “Complete inefficient government mechanism. The state is run by people who don’t understand the management of resources, only HBS is showing a good example of management in recent times.”

Suvam Basumatary said, “So our 90 crore fund can just afford 5 kg for a month? This is the efficiency of the government? Might be saving for future building statues and elections.”

Laxmi Lama Gogoi said, “Some people still will mislead it. 5 kg rice

will directly reach the financial stable house instead of those who are really in need of it.”

Another resident Bikash Jajodia said, “In our ward similar activity was done but only a few sections of people were communicated, which didn’t include the weaker

section....”

Pritam Mazumder said, “We asked the ward member about it but they didn’t provide us the right information neither did they said where can we find the form. They only provide this information to the ones who are close to them.”

All schools in Assam have been directed to provide a waiver of 50% in school fees for the month of April, announced state education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in a press meet on April 22.

Manish Kumar

Pobita Khakhlary

Arnab Deb

Shammaa Dhanawat Choudhury

The above decision is really good but school authorities from playschool to XII are not following above order in the name of different excuses e.g. online classes, insurance and wage payment of drivers, staff and teachers. Also claim is being made for adjustment of hours by cancellation of holidays and extra hours. I hope the government will look into it and take the necessary step.

But how will the teachers get salary if this is done? Private school teachers are already very lowly paid and on top of that the administration is always waiting for a chance to pay less by cutting the salaries. So with decision coming up, I’m sure the schools will not be paying salaries to their teachers.

How will they run their family? This decision is commendable but our ministers should also think about the consequences. Bad days are coming for teachers if this lockdown is further extended.

Peter Demlicho

Sir, it’s a good step but I have worked in a private school for more than 13 years.

If the guardians are not paying, the authority may not provide salaries to the teachers. Then who will take the responsibility because teachers’ salaries are based on students’ monthly fees and not the admission fees. I think Himanta Biswa Sarma should take these things into consideration before making any decision.

There has been a waiver of 50% school fees during this pandemic with regular payment of salaries. How are schools supposed to pay rent plus salaries and charge 50% fees? In this case schools should be provided rent waiver for the pandemic.

It should be 80% in government school and not be implemented in private schools. Government teachers already get a huge salary but without proper fees from students’ side and without any government incentives, private teachers couldn’t get their salary and moreover their salaries are already very insufficient to feed their family. I request the government to be kind and have sympathy for poor private teachers and exempt private schools from such action. Government employees are desirable to help the government.

It will not solve, instead it will create another problem for poor private school teachers’ families.

16 Concern

| Apr 25 - May 01, 2020

State and Centre seemingly lack coordination on lockdown guidelines Barasha Das @Barasha_mi2

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any a time, the Assam government has been found to have been caught unawares by new or the latest guidelines issued by the union Ministry of Home Affairs with regard to the different aspects of the lockdown relaxation.

India is currently following a 40-day lockdown period due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Initially, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a 21-day lockdown till 14th April. However, on the morning of 14th April, the PM further extended the lockdown by another 19 days.

During the lockdown period people have been facing various issues, be it financial crisis, unavailability of services, continued closure of offices and institutions, shops and establishments etc.

As such the union government has been issuing directives of step-by-step relaxation in many sectors and relief to the people keeping the containment of the coronavirus (and so social distancing norms) as top priority.

However, for some of these orders issued by the central government, the people of the state have been left utter confusion as the state government sought time to implement, discard or issue clarifications on them on time.

Although the orders of the union government are considered to super cede state government directives during emergencies, the orders under current circumstances may vary from state-to-state given the effect of the pandemic.

Health Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma has also been regularly mentioning that Assam would be following the guidelines of lockdown as ordered by the central government.

So who do the citizens of the state follow?

Earlier, the Ministry of Home Affairs had issued an order regarding the reopening of private establishments after April 20. Union Minister, Ravi Shankar even tweeted about the same along with illustrated creatives on 18th April, listing the various commercial and private establishments that were exempted from further lockdown.

People were left in confusion on the same, as businessmen & traders jumped on the idea of resuming work. They have been left without any regular earnings and financial aid during the lockdown but their bills have been mounting nevertheless.

The Chief Secretary to the Government of Assam, Kumar Sanjay Krishna, thereafter, in clarification and given local conditions, presented the state’s order with a detailed list of the establishments that were allowed to operate only on the evening of 20th of April.

In another instance, the Union Ministry of Human Resource and Development issued a notification on 15th April regarding the payment of school fees and staff salaries. The notification stated that educational institutions were not to collect fees during the lockdown period and the same was to be informed to the parents and guardians of students via mails and messages.

Also the teachers and staff members of all institutions were

The tweets made in response to the MHA directive by GP Singh, Kumar Sanjay Krishna and DIPR to be paid their regular salaries and dues without pay-cut. The notification clearly mentioned that the chief secretaries of all states and union territories were sent a copy of the same.

However, Krishna, talking to G Plus on 17th April, said that no instructions regarding the monetary issues of educational institutions have been sent to him. As such no comments were made.

State health minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, issued a detailed ordered regarding the same during a press meet on 22nd April, wherein the educational institutions were asked to waive fees by 50 percent for the month of March and April, but to pay

regular salaries to staff.

Further, while the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had issued an order on 24th April, wherein all neighborhood shops, standalone shops, and shops inside the residential complexes and market complexes, except shopping malls were permitted to open business, people were again left confused and some even opened stores on the morning of 25th April. Later, the Chief Secretary informed that no relaxation has been given on the ongoing lockdown by the government of Assam like opening of shops, beauty parlours etc.

DIPR Assam also tweeted that a decision on the same will be

taken by the government of Assam on the 27th of April.

The above instances have left the people of the state in utter confusion throughout Lockdown-2.0 and every time the same has been addressed by the state government to the contrary of the Centre’s directives. Such instances have also led people to question the lack of coordination between the Assam government and the Centre.

The natural question that arises is: “What makes the state government give a re-thinking to implement the Centre’s orders in the state? Is the Central government not coordinating with States before issuing such guidelines?”

Assam govt sends police team to bring back students stranded in Kota G Plus News @guwahatiplus

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he Assam government took up measures to bring back hundreds of students from the state who are stranded in Rajasthan’s Kota during the lockdown.

A team of Assam Police was

sent to Kota by a special flight to escort the students and bring them safely back to Assam. The team will reportedly reach Kota at 8pm on April 24. The chartered flight used for the purpose is a cargo plane, the Learjet 45 of Triveni Earth Movers Pvt Ltd. The police team will then bring back the students by a special bus from Rajasthan to Kushinagar in

Uttar Pradesh.

The group will return to Guwahati along with the police personnel On April 25.

It is to be mentioned that with the lockdown in place, the students stranded in Kota had requested the Assam government to bring them back from Rajasthan as they were facing difficulties with food and other necessities.

Although the state government had earlier asked the students to arrange their own transportation, the officials later decided to help them out during this time of crisis.

The state government has also been providing financial assistance to the people of Assam stranded outside the state as well as abroad.

Guest Column

| Apr 25 - May 01, 2020

The world of sports stops ‘sine die’!

I n the midst of increasingly catastrophic ‘Novel Corona virus’ (COVID-19) engulfing the entire world with morbid death scare corresponding with death toll rising in geometrical progression, it is only natural and inevitable that all sporting activities have come to a grinding halt. With social distancing becoming the new chanted mantra, the world is experiencing a hitherto unseen lockdown scenario to protect the

The author laments the total annihilation of the global sporting calendar of 2020 that included the Olympic Games at Tokyo, Japan due to the Covid-19 pandemic and looks forward to a glorious 2021 when all sporting activities are expected to resume. endangered humanity. For the first time in the history of human civilization, the scientists, researchers and doctors stand shaken and perplexed by the advent of a ‘tiny virus’.

Causing a serious blow to the 124-year-old glorious history

of the modern Olympic Games, the International Olympic Association (IOA) has been forced to defer the Tokyo Olympics – 2020 by a year.

Originally scheduled to be held from 24th July to 9th August, the Japanese euphoria to host the ‘greatest sports extravaganza on earth’ has been dampened besides inflicting a whooping 1.35 trillion yen ($12 billion) loss to the organizers spent in the run up to the event alone.

Honouring the teeming millions who had bought tickets to enjoy the Olympic Games amidst huge demand, the IOA has announced that the deferred games “will have the ‘Tokyo 2020’ branding.”

The multi-sport mega event will now be held from 23rd July to 14th August, 2021.

In the midst of worrying news of Ismael Borero, the Cuban wrestler, the defending Olympic champion in 60 kg category and two times world champion being tested positive for Corona virus, sports celebrities cutting across nationalities from legendary Sebastian Coe, the British cyclist Jason Kenny, six times gold medal winner, Katerina Stefanidi, the entire US athletic contingent to our own Mary Kom, Lovelina Borgohain, to name a few, have all unanimously supported the decision to postpone the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

The deferment of Olymics-2020 may appear to be jinxed to the superstitious lots.

The history of Olympics reveals that Tokyo was the first Asian country to be offered to host the prestigious event back in

1940 ever since commencement of modern Olympics in 1896.

However, growing political power-tussle at that time among various countries coupled with German aggression to dominate the world resulted in polarizing and splitting the world into two groups that ultimately led to the outbreak of the devastating World War II by 1939. And Tokyo Olympics, 1940 was cancelled.

Carefully preserved and nurtured in the rich British tradition, Wimbledon Tennis Tournament 2020, the oldest Grand Slam tennis championship had to be cancelled in view of the deepening global crisis and countrywide lockdown effected in Great Britain in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic. The history of Wimbledon highlights the fact that the glorious march of the iconic tournament that had its momentous beginning as far back as in 1877, has been hindered earlier only by the second and first World Wars from 1940 to 1944 and from 1915 to 1919 respectively.

Long awaited, vintage Euro Cup football tournament, 2020 is another top class sporting event to become a casualty of the virus. To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the tournament, the UEFA, in a unique break-away gesture, had earlier decided to hold the various matches in twelve cities spread across Europe. Rome and Wembley in London were the venues to host the inaugural

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he Assam government has been doing everything possible to cater to all kinds of necessities of all sections of people. After addressing issues of the poor and needy, the people stranded abroad as well as in other parts of the country, to the various patients and others, the government has also taken up concerns from the students of Assam.

Many students had earlier complained about the nonavailability of textbooks as book stores were not exempted in the lockdown. However, almost all private institution are conducting online classes, trying their best not to lose the academic year due to the extended lockdown.

As such the government has ordered the district administrations to facilitate the opening of book stores for the benefit of the students.

The Kamrup Metropolitan District Administration has passed an order on the same

line.

As such, only those book shops and stalls in Kamrup (M) that deal with academic curriculum books for students have been allowed to operate for three days a week.

The shops will be open every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 am to 1 pm.

Further, the stores are to sell only curriculum books and will primarily provide the same via home delivery.

However, guardians of students residing near the book stores may buy from

GUEST COLUMN

and final matches respectively.

Agonizingly, the games will now be held from 11th June, 2021.

All the sprawling stadiums in the world from Lords, Michigan in USA, Mexico’s Estadio to our own Nehru Stadium and from Rolland Garros, Malaysia’s huge

world peacefully for centuries.

The COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese “gift” to humanity, has had a significant impact on

badminton hall, to India Club tennis court, Guwahati, have been impacted by the dreaded Coronavirus. The sports centres across the world stand desolate, deserted with the silence of a graveyard!

Mankind’s perennial endeavour for entertainment and looking beyond food, shelter and clothing has contributed in the evolution of sports and games fostering universal brotherhood. It is this spirit that ensured holding of sports tournaments all around the

public health besides wrecking the economy and financial health of most countries thereby annihilating the sports calendar.

On a lighter vein, coronavirus has transformed the centuriesold advice to undertake outdoor physical exercise to maintain good health. The blazing, ridiculously contradictory advice now doing the rounds is, “Stay home to stay healthy!”

(The author, a retired bureaucrat, is a keen sportsman and sports enthusiast. The views expressed are his own)

Dist Admin orders opening of book stores for benefit of students Barasha Das @Barasha_mi2

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the shops directly but they are not allowed to travel by vehicles. No passes are to be issued by any authority to guardians or students for visiting shops.

Also, all employees of book stores are to follow COVID-19 protocols like wearing of mask, hand sanitization facilities at the store and maintain social distancing.

Proprietors of the shops are to provide an ID card to their delivery agents as authorities will not be issuing any special passes.

Gautam Ganguly

18 Trotter

| Apr 25 - May 01, 2020

Pakistan minister says College student sets mom people must protect legs and professor up for ‘blind or Covid-19 can enter ‘from date’ on Zoom below’

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mid a growing number of coronavirus cases across the world, a Pakistani politician’s bizarre advisory to protect one’s legs so that the virus doesn’t enter “from below”, has been going viral on the internet.

Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan, Pakistan’s assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting, recently addressed a press conference in which she asked Pakistanis to cover their legs in order to stop the virus from spreading “neeche se” (from below).

A video of the press conference was shared on Twitter and has been going viral ever since.

In it, Awan can be seen explaining how the virus can enter not just from the mouth and nose but also from underneath. She

further asked people to cover up all body parts to prevent catching coronavirus.

Since being shared, the video has over 2,500 views and four thousand likes.

(Source: timesofindia)

Clothing brand employee fired for advertising ‘Bat Fried Rice’ T-shirt

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he white, long-sleeve T-shirt was retailing for $60. The title: “Bat Fried Rice.”

It featured a small red image of chopsticks with bat wings on the front, and a larger design of a Chinese rice box with bat wings and the words “No Thank You” written on it on the back. “No Thank You” also appeared on the right sleeve.

Soon after Trevor Fleming, an art director for Lululemon Athletica, posted a link to the T-shirt in the bio section of his personal Instagram account, waves of online condemnation followed, and he was fired by the Canadian athletic apparel company. By a Reuters count, more than 1,000 comments were left on Lululemon’s official Instagram account criticizing the company for Fleming’s post.

“Should I burn all my lululemon now?” one asked. “As a brand, you should be well aware of the people you hire because they in fact represent your organization,” read another.

In replies to the comments, the company was quick to say the T-shirt was not one of its products.

“We apologize that an employee was affiliated with promoting an offensive T-shirt, and we take this very seriously,” it said. “The image and the post were

he coronavirus pandemic has forced many students and teachers across the world to rely on technology to continue classes. Lessons have moved from classrooms to video conference services like Zoom as people stay indoors to contain the spread of the highly infectious disease. One college student, however, found an unexpected flipside to this unusual situation when she managed to set her mother up with her college professor.

According to a daily, Aly Oliver, a college student at the University of Colorado at Boulder, made an attempt to set up her single mother with her college professor last week. She documented her Cupid-like scheme in a TikTok video that has now gone viral online and earned the devoted daughter much praise.

“My mom started crushing on my professor during quarantine,” she captioned the first clip in the video.

In the second clip, Aly’s mother can be heard complimenting the professor. “So I decided to go on his office hours so she could ‘accidentally’ walk in,” the college student wrote. She even shared a clip of her mother practising how she would interrupt the call with the professor. In the final clip, Aly can be heard telling her professor that her parents are divorced so she has to live at two different places just as her mother ‘accidentally’ walks in. The college student then smoothly introduces the two and they chat for a bit before the video ends.

Since being shared on TikTok, the video

has been viewed over 9.5 million times. It has also collected more than 2.6 million ‘likes’ and thousands of comments from social media users who loved the sneaky set-up.

“So what happened? Please update!” wrote one person in the comments section. “She really practiced and executed perfectly,” said another.

In a follow-up video, however, Aly said that she had to email her professor after the video went viral. She offered to take down the video as things became “awkward”.

“So I sent him an email and I was just like, ‘Yo, I did not know this was gonna go viral, I can totally take it down if you want’,” she said. According to the daily, her professor emailed back and wrote: “Surreptitiously recording aside, that’s [an] endearing thing for a daughter to do for a mother.”

(Source: ndtv)

China factory holding kissing contest to celebrate reopening sparks outrage

A

inappropriate and inexcusable. We acted immediately, and the person involved is no longer an employee of Lululemon.”

Lululemon issued a separate statement on Weixin, a Facebook-like company platform popular in China, where Instagram is banned, saying that the “person involved” in designing the shirt is not an employee of the company. “As a brand that advocates for a positive and healthy lifestyle, we are against all racist behaviour. Lululemon’s brand, core values and culture represent our stance. We will treat this event very seriously.”

(Source: nytimes)

factory in China is being criticised for organising a bizarre kissing contest to celebrate its reopening. A video of the contest - where participants were invited to kiss while separated by plexiglass - has been viewed over 10 million times on Chinese social media platforms. The kissing contest has sparked outrage online, with many criticising the factory for playing fast and loose with social distancing guidelines in the time of coronavirus.

The furniture factory named ‘Yueya’ in the city of Suzhou invited 10 couples to take part in the kissing contest. Photos and videos that are being widely circulated online show factory employees, some of them reportedly married, lowering their protective face masks to kiss through a clear pane of glass. The employees were all seen wearing blue boiler suits.

The kissing competition was organised to celebrate the resumption of work in the factory and China began easing restrictions imposed during the lockdown to contain the spread of the highly infectious coronavirus.

Mr Ma, the owner of the factory, said that the glass had been placed between participants to minimise risk of infection. Mr Ma told local media: “Some of the participants were actually married couples who both work in

the factory.

“This pandemic has made everyone very tense. They haven’t been able to relax, and that might cause mistakes in the production process. That’s why I arranged the kissing contest to make everyone happy. To avoid any accidents, we put a piece of plexiglass between everyone and disinfected it with alcohol several times.” The competition still attracted criticism on social media, with many pointing out that the participants failed to maintain social distance.

(Source: newshead)

Fiction

| Apr 25 - May 01, 2020

19

Home Sweet Home

I

t continues to pour through the sky, day and night. A cold dankness has set in, intensified by the perpetual grey skies that pervade the surroundings and homes alike.

Meanwhile, the damp clothes left hanging on the line have started giving out a musty smell. The deluge has overtaken daily lives, forcing people to stay cooped up inside.

They stared at the skies every day, in the hope that the gods might have had enough of the outpourings and was calling it off anytime soon. The kids played games, read stories and sang aloud amongst themselves and yet they still hankered after their parents to let them out for just

The tombstone with his date of birth and death engraved neatly on the cold grey stone, in slanted position against the bedroom wall, gave it a peculiar sight. that bit for a feel of the outdoors.

Their pleadings went ignored as the streets were flooded and dangerously slippery for those unmindful and not the least bit careful. The confines of home no longer felt warm and familiar, they took on a different meaning.

The imposition made them restricted and restive.

Glued to the set, trying to concentrate on the soap playing out on the screen, my palms instinctively rubbed against the goose bumps on my arms, attempting to smoothen them from time to time. The rain induced cold in the summer of May felt sterile and unnatural.

The fragile light in the peak of day gave one the sense of being in continuous twilight. No birds chirped, no leaves rustled, no conversations overheard, except the monotonous sound of the consistently pouring rain.

A day of an important religious festival, yet no one had thought of celebrating it. It didn’t seem appropriate. It had just been three days. We made up for the lack of a feast with sipping cold drinks from coca cola bottles and pretending to watch whatever was transmitting on the screen. The three of us siblings had been moved to the newly constructed house of ours, keeping us away from the rest of the extended family. The elders were in mourning. However, the overwhelming sense of gloom stayed put, stubbornly watching over us, watching our every move. No matter what we did as a form of distraction, or spoke to unburden our minds, it remained omnipresent.

The house was bare, with no furniture or the usual necessities that is synonymous with a newly constructed home. It hadn’t been filled with the love and warmth yet. Something that came with people inhabiting it for a long period as they keep nurturing it with care and filling it with the many objects of desire. So that in time, the house begins to reflect the personalities of those who had been taking care of it.

We didn’t even have a sofa or chairs to sit on. An old mattress covered with a bedsheet and a couple of pillows were laid on the floor to lounge or sleep on whenever we felt like. The kitchen wasn’t functional yet.

Food was delivered to us from the old house, which was again not cooked but sent by the neighbours for the family. So, in a way we had no choice over menu but ate whatever was provided. This was a norm everywhere, and one had to be appreciative of the fact that food was delivered without us even requesting for it. It was a favour and one had to gracefully accept whatever was provided.

I had been dreading the news to arrive anytime soon. It eventually did on the day I had my viva exams for linguistics. I remembered my turn being at number nine but when my name was announced as the first one on the list to sit before the examiner from a different University, it left me flummoxed.

As I faced her she plied me with questions about my impending visit home the same day, making me even more nervous. I had no immediate plan whatsoever to visit home as my written exams were scheduled for a few days later.

The news was solemnly passed on to me by one of the teachers. It left me in a daze although I had been anticipating it. A friend was assigned to escort me till the bus station, seating me on a bus to take me home. That friend did not see me off at the station but sat beside me till the next station in a different town from where I would then have to board another bus. During the journey, he listened patiently to my conversation as I carried on with my monologue. I had a lot on my mind that day and felt light to pour out some of it on the person sitting beside.

Unable to concentrate on the television screen, my mind was becoming increasingly agitated for some strange reason. I could not stave off the thoughts and the resultant unease, which took on a strong hold, almost like a grip. A peculiar worry began to obsess me. I felt restless so much so that I could no longer hold back from staring outside the window, looking towards the graveyard.

He must have been growing cold, too cold perhaps. The body must have started withering by now. It has been three days that he had been laid to rest. Meanwhile

the goose bumps kept reappearing all over my arms. I kept rubbing over them vigorously, trying to keep warm and comfortable, reminding myself that I was very much a part of the living.

That he was finally gone needed more time to sink in. The tombstone with his date of birth and death engraved neatly on the cold grey stone, in slanted position against the bedroom wall, gave it a peculiar sight. It seems to stare back mutely, each time I entered the room. A thousand questions arose in my mind, inadvertently forging a connection between the two worlds, the dead and the living.

Gone for posterity, never to reappear in our midst as an entity.

together, unsure of what lay ahead. Their very existence in question. It was all too much too fast.

It relieved her momentarily that the vegetables would last them for three more days without needing to venture outside. She began to think seriously about rationing the food. No more indulgences with the children. It would have to wait for better days when they could afford to be more pandering to their whims, she decided.

Calls from concerned ones kept coming throughout the day. The constant news that were flowing in helped the family keep updated on the world outside. The additional housework was beginning to tire her but she did not mind it much.

The material items left behind lingered on as remnants of a person who had simply walked into the past. The clothes, colognes, shoes, belts and photographs, along with other personal items were carefully sorted and set aside, to be decided later on whether to donate or be kept at home.

It was disturbing, horrifying to say the least, to witness on the various screens, what was unfolding before the eyes within a span of days. Inundated with a deluge of information, difficult to process at one go. Some were confusing the population even further. A lot many of the people acted frivolous and their acts were bordering on the careless, scaring the ones wise enough to fathom the enormity of it.

Raima took stock of the food items inside the fridge. She pondered over how long they would have to endure the current situation. It was quickly spiralling out of control. Families huddled

It made her stay focused on the immediate needs, keeping the rest of it for later to worry over.

Raima thought of the other ways that she would have to come up with in the coming days to keep herself more engaged mentally.

The cleaning and dusting done for the day. She was now ready for a bath before whipping up a simple lunch for everyone.

Thinking of ways to coax the kids into eating snake gourd, their least favourite vegetable, besides the constant wrangling over keeping the house tidy, the tussle continued throughout the day. The current circumstances were overwhelming her. Sabir helped with the dishes, a part of the cooking chores and the most important aspect, keeping the

Zerine Wahid children engaged. She was at least thankful to him for this.

It wasn’t time for the birds to head home yet, some still soared the evening skies. The ball of orange readying to slide into the smog filled horizon had mellowed down from its fiery avatar during the day. The view from the terrace of the crisscrossing lanes below, seemed unfamiliar. Few bikes and cars moved, a couple of shops opened partially. A handful of people ventured outside, walking down the streets with faces covered in masks. For now, it was the noise of the birds and the local mongrels overpowering the encompassing silence. They were restless too, barking ferociously at the passerby. The hunger pangs were slowly turning them into nasty beasts. A few people peered out from the adjoining buildings to seek out the noise from the ruckus, as a pack fought amongst themselves.

Raima stood staring from the terrace. It felt peaceful to be alone for a brief while.

Pondering over how long they would remain confined, as the muezzin’s call for evening prayers reverberated across the skies. The daily chores had kept her mind away from dark thoughts. But nothing much happened for a large part of the day, leaving her with a lot to think. Conversations between her and Sabir had begun to dwindle with the passage of time. However, she had no complaints. Complaining was a privilege in uncertain times.

The image of the ragpicker rummaging through the garbage bin near her home, looking for anything valuable, the rickshaw puller from the faraway village and her maid’s children, flashed before her eyes. The world around her had changed dramatically.

What seemed distant and camouflaged under the guise of regular life, was now emerging in a new light, she realized with amazement. They were all staring at a turning point in time.

Like the rest of her kind, she was unsure if they were going to outlast this pandemic or simply fade into oblivion as nature took control. Reema wasn’t ready to give up, not just yet.

Darkness was beginning to descend as she froze in time fixated on her thoughts. The flicker of the street lights as they switched on, reminded her of the fleeting time. Alone for over an hour, Raima hurried down the stairs to be with her family and attend to their immediate needs.

20 Fun Horoscope of the week

| Apr 25 - May 01, 2020 These predictions are based on the month of birth, and are about an individual’s work environment, parents and extended family.

Jayashree Bose Certified Feng Shui, Chinese astrology, date selection consultant & author, www.facebook.com/geoprinciples

28th April and 1st May will be great days for you to share your ideas with your seniors or simply just connect with them. You could schedule your important meetings on these dates. 27th April will be a slow day for you. On 30th April you need to be wary of dealing with the opposite gender. Other days will be good for you.

Avoid making any promises on 25th April; you will have to live up to them. 27th and 29th April will be great days for you to share your ideas with your seniors or simply just connect with them. You could schedule your important meetings on these dates. 28th April will be a slow day for you. You could have a fall out with someone from work or extended family on 1st May.

It will be an amazing week for you. Use 25th, 26th, and 28th April to connect with your boss and share your ideas, for good results host your important meetings on these dates. These are good days for you to grow your business network. 29th April will be a slow day. Other days will be average.

It will be an average week for you. 25th and 26th April will be ideal days for you to connect with your senior and share your ideas with him/her. On 27th April, be careful while dealing with the opposite gender. 1st May avoid trusting anyone with your secrets. 30th April will be a slow day for you. Other days will be average.

27th April will be a great day for you to share your ideas with your seniors and host your important meetings. 25th and 28th April you could have issues with your seniors and your parents, there could be major disagreements on 25th April. 30th April you could be betrayed by someone at work or extended family. On 1st May be careful of your words and action as you will create your own problems.

This week just take it slow. Keep calm. Things may not be going your way. Avoid your extended family and your work mates on 26th April. You are bound to have disagreements. 28th April will be an excellent day for you to schedule your important meetings. Your seniors will be receptive to your ideas. On 29th April you could feel your seniors and/or your parents are ungrateful, they don’t appreciate you.

25th, 26th and 29th April will be great days for you to share your ideas with your seniors or simply just connect with them. You could schedule your important meetings on these dates. Avoid hosting any meetings on 27th April; you are bound to have disagreements. On 28th and 30th April you could be betrayed by someone at work and emotionally hurt by your family.

Not a great week ahead. 25th and 28th April avoid making any promises; you will have to live up to them. 27th April you could be emotionally hurt by your seniors or parents. 28th April avoid hosting any meetings, you will have disagreements. 26th and 3 30th April will be a great days for you to build a rapport with your seniors and people at work, host your important meetings on these dates.

A great week ahead of you. 27th, 30th April and 1st May are ideal days for you to share your ideas with your boss or connect with people at work and family.

Host your important meetings on these dates. Avoid socializing or making any promises on 26th or 29th April. Avoid hosting any meetings on 29th April you are bound to have disagreements.

28th April and 1st May will be great days for you to build your relationship with your seniors and people at work. 25th April you will be emotionally hurt either by your parents or your seniors. 30th April you could have disagreement with your senior or work associate, not a day to schedule important meetings.

Watch yourself on 28th April and 1st May, avoid making any promises or getting into a confrontation.

1st May you could have a disagreement with your senior or work associate. Share your ideas with your seniors or generally build a relationship with people at work on 29th and 30th April, host your important meetings on these dates.

This week will be average for you. 29th and 30th April will be ideal days for you to mingle with your seniors, people at work and build your work network. Host your important meetings on these dates. Be careful with your words and actions on 26th April you will create your own problems. Rest of the days will be average for you.

Who remains the only footballer to be knighted while he was still playing actively?

6.

Identify this world famous immunologist leading the battle against the Covid pandemic in USA, seen here addressing the journalists with Donald Trump?

Dr. Soubhadra Chakrabarty This quiz has been brought to you by Brain Jam, a property of Priya Communications

Dilbert By Scott Adams

Sudoku 4 9 3 7 49 15 6 58 4 15 9 8 2 93 86 2 7 45 9 6 21 1 3 7 48 39 7 4 9 3 58 1 47 98 3 3 2 3 5 1 7 6

87

Daily DailySudoku: Sudoku:Fri Sat24-Apr-2020 18-Apr-2020

(c) Daily Sudoku Ltd 2020. All rights reserved. (c) Daily Sudoku Ltd 2020. All rights reserved.

5.

veryhard hard very

last week solution 36 92 21 87 15 87 73 29 69 58 44 15 93 34 67 78 81 45 56 94 28 79 12 41 52 21 39 66 47 66 98 53 74 13 85 32

54 8 4 91 37 62 6 3 49 84 91 3 7 28 73 86 2 1 52 15 29 7 6 87 21

56 15 62 94

33 3 5 76 69 48 7 4 9 34 58 81 15 9 8 13 42 27 48 1 2 65 96 79

Daily DailySudoku: Sudoku:Fri Sat24-Apr-2020 18-Apr-2020

(c) Daily Sudoku Ltd 2020. All rights reserved. (c) Daily Sudoku Ltd 2020. All rights reserved.

Which northeast legend, voted by MSN in 2014, as the Most Influential Indian Female, bears the nickname, Mengoubi or ‘the fair one’?

noun (used with a singular verb) the scientific study of trees and their environment.

curio-city

4.

British Slang. exhausted; very tired

1. Borthal Dance of Barpeta

Which popular dessert gets its name from a French word which literally means ‘crust of a tart’?

2. Dadasaheb Phalke

3.

[ sil-viks ]

adjective [nak-erd]

3. Custard

Gangavataran in 1937 was the last directorial venture of which Indian film legend?

silvics

4. Irom Sharmila Chanu

2.

Word of the week Word knackered of the week

5. Sir Stanley Matthews

Which popular Assamese folk dance has the dancers dancing to a very fast beat, the Zhiya Nom beat?

6. Dr. Anthony S Fauci, Director of National Institute of

1.

Allergic and Infectious Diseases, USA

curio-city

veryhard hard very

http://www.dailysudoku.com/ http://www.dailysudoku.com/

Lifestyle

| Apr 25 - May 01, 2020

Some easy Vaastu tips for Apartments W

henever you have a toilet in an undesirable direction like the northeast, you may fix a big mirror outside the toilet to symbolically make the bathroom disappear. The toilet seat and the door should be closed while keeping the window open.

Keep a bowl of water with salt in the northeast corner. Change it regularly. The cover of the western styled toilet should be closed.

The southwest and northeast are very important for relationships.

If the bedroom is at southwest, enhance it with crystals, things that come in pairs and relationshiprelated Feng Shui objects such as dragon and phoenix, or mandarin ducks. Avoid placing a mirror in this area. Decorate this area with pictures of you and your partner.

Use bright light in the children’s room. It is very good to hang a crystal ball on a red thread or

ribbon near the window from where the sunlight comes in.

People wishing to spice up their married conjugal life can go for red colour in their bedroom at southwest or south. But if the partners are quarrelsome, this can have a boomerang effect! Pink will be a safer option in such a case.

Avoid too much furniture and racks with shelves. Open shelves consume fresh energy and bring stagnation.

Keep a music system in the living room and play a soothing music to disperse the energy throughout the house. Heavy Metal or Rock would not be my choice for this!

Do not keep a sharp item like a knife pointed towards the stove in the kitchen.

Do not keep telephones in the northeast or southwest. It can be kept in southeast or northwest.

Drinking water should be kept in the northeast of the kitchen for

positive results.

A ceiling should never have five corners.

Growing creepers on the compound wall or walls of the house should be avoided.

The main door should open inwards towards the right hand side.

Keep enough provision in the northwest to let in the air element into the house by providing windows, ventilators or balconies in northwest.

Keep the garbage generated in the kitchen in the southwest corner of the kitchen.

Do not place a clock directly in front of the main door.

Recite “Om Namoh Bhagavati Vaastu Devtay Namah “ mantra every Tuesday morning 108 times.

While eating meals, keep the glass of water in the northeast.

Face East or North while eating.

21

Hemanta Kumar Sarmah

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

Habits that weaken our immunity Sohini Chakraborty Chatterjee

W

ith the COVID-19 pandemic spreading rapidly, we have to build our immune system strong.

Thus we must know if any of our ignorance or daily indulgence is making us weaker from within. We have to be careful about the habits reducing our immune power.

Here are a few things to keep in mind: Poor Nutrition: Quality of food is very important and often overlooked cause of immune depletion. Over time bad quality food depletes the immune system, and if not corrected, will continue to get worse. It can also cause us to be overweight, a condition that makes you more susceptible to disease. A healthy diet should include plenty of fruits rich in especially vitamin C, vegetables rich in folate, whole grains containing vitamin E and low-fat milk. We have to include all these foods to build our immunity.

High Sugar Intake: Sugary snacks are also bad for our immune system. The blood cells need vitamin C to fight off viruses and because glucose (from sugar) is so similar in structure to vitamin C, when we ingest too much sugar it actually starts competing with vitamin C for space in our immune cells. Thereby limiting our intake of sugar can help to keep our

immune system to be active. To satisfy our sweet tooth, a sweet fruit like grapes, dry fruits, piece of dark chocolate or dates or sweets made from jaggery can work.

Inadequate Water Intake: Our bodycells need water for every function. Thus the cellular immunity also needs proper hydration to function. Water flushes out harmful toxins and helps our body fight off infection.

Plus it affects our energy levels and even the quality of our sleep.

Drinking 3 litre of water regularly helps one stay well hydrated and healthy.

Lack of Exercise: Exercise plays a significant role as this is a very powerful stimulant of the immune system. It enhances the ability to create antibodies and T-cells, which are white blood cells that help the body fight disease. As little as 30 minutes of walking, jogging or simple free hand exercises for 5 days a week can help our immune system perform at its best. Moreover, pranayamas keep our lungs strong and keeps our mind calm.

Improper Sleep: Adequate sleep helps the body to rest and prepare to fight infections, bacteria, viruses, and other triggers. Thus sleeping for 7-8 hours of daily is necessary to keep the immune system properly working.

Stress:Stress levels are associated with our hormone outputs. Stress produces the

(COPD).

Excess Alcohol: Regularly overindulging in alcoholic drinks can have a negative effect on our immune system. Drinking too much can wear away the linings of our mouth and oesophagus.

It also makes our white blood cells less effective at attacking harmful bacteria and lowers our body’s ability to produce cells that identify and kill bacteria and viruses.

If the above-mentioned habits have been a part of our daily lifestyle, you really need to stop indulging in them now! It’s hormone cortisol which impairs the function of infectionfighting T-ce lls. The hormone corticosteroid can suppress the effectiveness of the immune system (e.g. lowers the number of lymphocytes). To be stress free and healthy, we must exercise for 30 minutes a day or practice deep breathing and meditation. These can diminish the effects of stress.

Smoking: Smoking damages the first line s of de fe nce , the linings of our mouth and our nose, which are actually part of our immune system. This makes us more susceptible to cold and flu. Our lungs can be very badly affected by smoking. Coughs, colds, wheezing and asthma are just the start. Smoking can cause fatal diseases such as pneumonia and lung cancer. Smoking causes

84% of deaths from lung cancer and 83% of deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

time to make a complete lifestyle change, build immunity and focus more on preventive healthcare.

22 In The News

| Apr 25 - May 01, 2020

Citizens queue up outside DC office in Guwahati for availing inter-district travel passes

W

ith the state governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision to open up a three-day window to allow inter district movement of people in Assam, people were seen standing in long queues outside Deputy Commissioner (DC) office, Kamrup (M) for availing passes.

Reportedly, hundreds of people lined up outside the office from the early hours of April 24 maintaining social distancing.

Earlier, addressing a press meet, Assam State Health and Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that within 25-27 April, people will be allowed to commute back to their native places as per the guidelines laid out by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Further, if a citizen owns his own car and has remained stuck in a different district due to the lockdown, he or she will

be allowed to commute without any hassle after procuring prior permission from the respective Deputy Commissioners.

Starting from April 25, inter district movement of patients will also be facilitated. Such people will be issued to and fro passes to the hospital.

However, strict action will be taken against those vehicles plying with passes issued for patients but without a patient on board.

Additionally, patients without a personal vehicle may contact 104 for ambulance service.

Migrant workers and students will also be allowed to commute during this 3 day period.

For those without personal vehicles, the government of Assam will start playing ASTC buses on designated routes.

All such travelers are to go through a medical test immediately on reaching their destinations and shall remain in 14 days quarantine if suggested.

Closure of wine shops spawns illicit liquor trade, consignment seized in Mangaldai

O

n the basis of secret inputs, a team of Excise Intelligence Bureau (EIB) and Mangaldai Police seized two 10 wheeler container vehicles near NRL Petrol Pump in Mangaldai.

The vehicles entered through the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border and were involved in the illegal transport of Arunchali liquor of 2,400 cases amounting to Rs.35 lakhs in total in Assam market.

The team of EIB chased down these vehicles bearing registration numbers NL-01 L-6374 & RJ-52G A-1305 (this vehicle being blacklisted by various RTOs in different states) after a long run of 4 hours with the help of Police amidst the lockdown.

It is to be noted that the Ministry of Home Affairs on one of its latest guidelines had issued complete and strict restrictions on the sale of liquor nationwide.

CM-Veterinary Dept meeting: Samples of affected pigs to be sent to Bhopal for Swine Flu check

C

hief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today held a meeting with the top officials and scientists of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department at Brahmaputra State Guest House and directed the department to conduct inquiry into the pig flu cases in the state and take remedial measures at the earliest in the greater interest of

farmers engaged in the piggery sector.

Agriculture Minister Atul Bora, Legal Adviser to the Chief Minister Shantanu Bharali, Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna, Principal Secretary of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Department Rajesh Prasad and scientists and top officials Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Department were present in the meeting.

News This Week

| Apr 25 - May 01, 2020

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

1

All central govt jobs to include ‘transgender’ in gender category

The Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, on April 20, ordered for the inclusion of ‘Transgender’ as a separate category for all central government jobs. As such, all ministries and departments are asked to modify all relevant examination rules in order to accommodate the new category. The new rule has been made as per the provision of The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019, that got the Presidential assent as an act on December 5, 2019. The Civil Services Examination Rules, 2020 had also been notified on February 5, to include ‘Transgender’ in the gender category for the exams.

2

Virus will be with us for a long time: WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that most countries are still in the early stages of tackling the Coronavirus pandemic. The World Health Organisation director-general AdhanomGhebreyesusTedros during a virtual press briefing said, “Most of the epidemics in western Europe appear to be stable or declining”. “Most countries are still in the early stages of their epidemics.

And some that were affected early in the pandemic are now starting to see a resurgence in cases”, he further said in the briefing. Tedros also said, “Make no mistake: we have a long way to go. This virus will be with us for a long time.”

3

Facebook buys Reliance Jio stake worth Rs 43,574 Cr

Facebook has bought 9.9% stake in Reliance Jio to help the Indian oil-to-telecom conglomerate to significantly cut debt amid the lockdown. The company in a statement said, “This investment underscores our commitment to India, and our excitement for the dramatic transformation that Jio has spurred in the country.” With this Facebook has now become Reliance Jio’s largest minority shareholder and gets access to a wider audience of 388 million Jio customers. Further the deal will help MukeshAmbani-owned RIL reduce debt further and allow the Mark Zuckerberg-led company get a stronger foothold in what is the US major’s largest market.

4

No hike in DA, DR for central govt employees

The finance ministry, on April 23, decided to put on hold increment in dearness allowance (DA) for 50 lakh central government employees and 61 lakh pensioners till July 2021 due to the COVID-19 crisis. “In view of the crisis arising out of COVID-19, it has been decided that additional instalment of dearness allowance payable to central government employees and dearness relief (DR) to central government pensioners due from January 1, 2020, shall not be paid. “The additional instalment of DA and DR due from July 1, 2020, and January 1, 2021, shall also not be paid,” the Department of Expenditure said in an office memorandum. However, DA and DR at current rates will continue to be paid.

5

Indian govt to conduct telephonic COVID-19 survey

The central government on April 21 announced that it will conduct a survey to gather feedback from citizens on coronavirus. The survey will be conducted by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), Government of India through phone calls. Citizens will receive a phone call from ‘1921’ on their mobile phones. Further, the government has urged the citizens to participate in the survey and cautioned them against pranksters calling from any other number than ‘1921’.

“People are informed that it is a genuine survey and are requested to participate in good measure when a call comes in from 1921 to enable proper feedback of the prevalence and distribution of Covid symptoms,” a press release said.

6

23

Savita Kovind stitches masks to be distributed at shelter homes

President Ram NathKovind’s wife SavitaKovind was seen stitching face masks at the President’s Estate on April 22. The masks made by SavitaKovind will be distributed across several shelter homes of the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board. The official Twitter account of BJP Karnataka shared the viral picture with the caption, “Here is our First Lady, SmtSavitaKovind, stitching face masks to be distributed at numerous shelter homes in New Delhi. Thank You Amma for leading by example.”

7

PM Modi launches e-Gram Swaraj portal on Panchayati Raj Diwas

On the occasion of Panchayati Raj Diwas Prime Minister NarendraModi inaugurated a unified e-GramSwaraj Portal and Mobile App and ‘Swamitva Scheme’. E-GramSwaraj Portal is an initiative of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj that will provide the Gram Panchayats with a single interface to prepare and implement their Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP). After the launch PM Modi also addressed the Gram PanchayatsSarpanchs from across the nation.

‘Swamitva Scheme’ will ensure the demarcation of inhabited land in rural areas with the use of the latest surveying methods including the use of drones.

8

Stigma attached to Covid-19 can cause more deaths: AIIMS director

Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Dr RandeepGuleria on April 23 said, stigmatising of Covid-19 patients and their families is resulting in cases turning up late at hospitals, with heightened breathlessness, and this could mean increased morbidity and mortality. According to Dr Guleria, the disease can be treated successfully in most cases and 80% of patients need only supportive care, while 20% would require enhanced attention and of these only 5% need ventilators. Further he urged people to support patients and their families instead of stigmatising them. “We should look at how we can support Covid-19 patients and their families. More people need to come for testing (on developing symptoms),” he added.

9

Action against landlords demanding rent from workers, students: Delhi Chief Secy

Delhi Chief Secretary (CS) Vijay Dev has directed officials to take strict action against those landlords who are asking migrant workers and students to pay rent amid the coronavirus lockdown. An order by the CS said that “The district magistrates shall undertake awareness campaign on the issue, particularly in areas having higher density of workers and students, to advice affected persons to lodge complaints to police control room by calling ‘100’... .” It is to be mentioned that on March 29 Delhi government had issued an order, according to which landlords have been asked not to demand rent for a period of one month from workers and migrants.

10

MyGov India launches Saathi Chatbot

MyGov India has launched ‘Saathi’ Chatbot on http://self4society.mygov.in. This chatbot will help to keep citizens updated with all the latest information, Mythbusters and other related updates of COVID-19. The chatbot is available in two languages english and hindi.

It is to be mentioned that earlier the government also launched AarogyaSetu app. The ‘AarogyaSetu’ tracking app is supposed to help track the coronavirus infection by using the smartphone’s GPS system and Bluetooth and provide information that will help in determining if you have been near a Covid-19 infected person or not.

The AarogyaSetu app supports 11 languages. Further the application is aimed to help public stay informed with latest updates against COVID19 & enable the Government to plan initiatives.

24 Catching Up

| Apr 25 - May 01, 2020

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The looming gloom | Photo: Surajit Sharma

Jubilee Garden

he Panbazar Water Treatment Plant, although wears a desolate look with its rusted reservoir and treatment facilities, had a beautiful history of its own.

During the British era the place was known as Jubilee Garden.

Jubilee Garden was the first public park of Guwahati that was established around 1887 to commemorate the completion of 50 years of rule of Queen Victoria in the Indian subcontinent. As the occasion was celebrated countrywide, in Guwahati the park marked the occasion.

Reportedly, the park had a glorious history of 75 years, boosting of lush green areas and a beautiful fountain.

During the freedom movement the Jubilee Garden hosted meetings of great visionary luminaries like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rabindranath Tagore , Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Subhash Chandra Bose,

Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi, Nabin Chandra Bordoloi, Tarunram Phukan and other.

In 1901, Guwahatians were privileged enough to listen to Swami Vivekananda in the garden when he visited Assam.

The land was donate d for the establishment of the park by Babu Nabagopal Banerjee, a contractor from West Bengal who was employed in the construction of the Guwahati-Shillong Road. The garden had a ‘tamor pholi’ (bell-metal plate) with the name of the garden, its established year and the land donor’s name engraved on it.

Unfortunately, during the construction of the water treatment plant the plate and the fountain disappeared, taking away with it the glorious history of the land, that could only be recollected from the stories of the few elders who saw the garden’s presence and remains to narrate its tale.

Printed & Published by Sunit Jain on behalf of Insight Brandcom Pvt. Ltd. and Printed at Janambhumi Press (P) Ltd., Kalapahar, Guwahati and Published at 4A, Royale Arcade, Ulubari, Guwahati - 781007, Editor: Swapnil Bharali.

Phone: 0361 2522444, Email: info@g-plus.in, RNI No: ASSENG/2013/52641