There is news everywhere. Some are good, some are bad, some are real or fake, some are special while rest ordinary. But there are some which will surely remain as headlines at least for a couple of weeks.
The first in the line will be the US presidential election result. Donald J Trump is the 45th President of the United States of America after defeating Hillary Clinton in the presidential race. Yes a mere business tycoon who had contested for the most coveted position of the world is indeed today more powerful than any of the Marvel superheroes. Call it luck or the extensive persuasive election campaigns, Trump had played his Trump card well to be the resident of the White House for the next four years (one can call him a political alien) whereas ace politicians had dedicated their entire life for the same. His election as the head of the superpower nation has sparked protests in many regions whereas world leaders in their congratulatory note to Mr. Trump have shown due respect and interest to work with him. India especially is looking forward for a fruitful bilateral ties strengthening time since Mr. Trump had asserted in his election speech that he is fond of India. Whatever the future holds is only a mystery now but in the words of many, entrusting the reins of one of the biggest democracies in the hands of someone who had intertwined himself in many controversies in the past is just like gifting a complex video game to a 10 year old. There is no wonder that he will be lured to push the many buttons, all unexplored, on this video game and experiment on all possible outcomes. The only treat would be to see whether Americans and the world will lose or win the game.
The next in the line of news is the ban on the 500 and 1000 rupees currency notes. While the Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi was engrossed in his strong verbal address to intimate the burning issue, all Indians were busy either stacking their old notes for exchange or else counting the live guards in the form of coins and 100 rupee notes. Even in an unannounced form, it is an economic crisis which will affect almost every walk of life because in an overly populated country like India demonetization has its own pros and cons. Thus in his message the PM requested the countrymen to support and remain patient in this war against corruption- a war against filthy black money owners. Although the social media is projecting the issue in quite a light-hearted manner, this sudden step is welcomed and questioned at the same time. If the government has pledged to eradicate the menace of fake notes and black money, should it also not take legitimate action to punish those involved in bringing our economy down proving that this outburst is not a political drama like campaign promises where the only sufferers are the general public and those who laden their homes with illegal money have only little to lose. Only then we can say that “Acche din aa gaye” otherwise all these public inconvenience caused is just another proof that our representatives step out in the jungle for a stroll and not actually to hunt.
The third issue which had recently caught the headlines and is a very serious concern is the Smog envelope in the national capital. It is an environmental problem which most people were acquainted to only through their school books. Post Diwali celebrations, Delhi had an alarming increase in the polluted air level. So things once taken for granted are now national and international problems being discussed at conferences like the COP 21 and COP 22. The Delhi government have banned all sort of construction activities for a couple of days but it, like spraying water on roads, shutting down industries for sometime or the odd-even rule, are not enough to curb the drastic nature of the endangering smog. What about the heavy deforestation, over population and rapid industrialization? When will people start to question those if they really believe in sustainable development. Everything now is as unclear as the Delhi sky.
Moving on to the NE region and specifically our state Assam, many issues seem to jolt the inhabitants. The most controversial amongst all is the arrest of the Assam Public Service Commission Chairman Mr. Rakesh Paul. The bold statement and accusation of a young lady dentist was enough for the police to arrest him for committing severe corruption leading to raid in his innumerable assets in and across the state. But more than the vast amount of money and property that he had amassed in the name of offering high profile jobs, what came as a massive shock was that he had conducted the prestigious public service exams right in his place and no one even got the slightest of hints. One can then very well gauge the structure of bureaucracy and the corruption that would evidently be present. Isn’t it purely a case of denying a true suitor an honourable job and placing it in the hands of those who loaded his bank account with cash? The Chairman’s removal will require the final approval of the President of India. Will he come out scot free like last time and his helping hands too do not get a jail stay? Will his arrest simply adorn News channels when after some days he will be moving below the clear skies without penalty?
Questions and apprehensions on all these remain; time will definitely be the best answer.
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