MyVoice: Views of our readers 19th November 2020

Baldia polls and the common man

Call of a political party to free Hyderabad from the clutches of TRS and AIMIM is certainly not in good spirit and fairness. TRS and AIMIM have won previous elections in 2015 as BJP has won 2019 elections. Where are clutches or grips or strangleholds?

The statement is aimed at conversion of GHMC elections a war between peacefully coexisting communities. More than 400 years of old rich history and tradition of Hyderabad, an example of communal harmony, is now facing a Test. Better governance should be agenda and manifesto of any political organisation. When would elections in India be held on real issues affecting people.Be it TRS, AIMIM, Congress or BJP, life of common man remains the same.

G Sivaramakrishna, Hyderabad

TRS government 's move to advance GHMC polls may inconvenience the opposition parties by depriving them of sufficient time, strategy and funds for election campaigning; nevertheless exposes it's lack of confidence to win the polls easily

(Greater battle closer than expected , November 18). The episode reminds of how NTR's Telugu Desam won with huge majority , even though the Congress at the Centre advanced the elections from August 1983 to January 1983. In democracy, people's mandate cannot be restricted by any force.

Kshirasagara Balaji Rao, Hyderabad

Create employment urgently

It is time to create jobs and not anxiety as people are already tired of looking for one for couple of years. To add salt to the wound, the Covid-19 situation has added to the stress of the majority of the people. Job loss during pandemic added to the woes. Covid19 exposes the key government role in maintaining the total level of spending in the economy at a level that keeps the country as close to full employment as possible in India. There will be estimated one million of youth under 25 looking for a job soon and it is the responsibility of the Centre to infuse youth in government jobs as soon as possible. It is time to kick start job creation scheme is too small and reliant on private firms to help. Time is running out to act and ensure that a generation is not sacrificed on the altar of ideology.

M R Jayanthi, Mumbai

Staying alert mandatory

Data released by the Jeevan Raksha Project, backed by the Public Health Foundation of India, show that Covid cases in Karnataka have plateaued. A mathematical model at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has also predicted a reduction in cases from late March. According to Sanjeev Mysore, convenor of the Project, the growth rate of new cases fell from 60 per cent to 20 per cent in the last one month and the number of deaths fell by a whopping 80 per cent. While the news must cheer citizens, they would do well to not drop guard and continue their efforts to keep the pandemic at bay.

N J Ravi Chander, Bengaluru

Delhi is in the middle of a serious public health crisis. Covid 19 has been threatening people with various stages of infection in the national capital over the last nine months. The ongoing disease is more hospitable for the virus; festivities have enhanced mass interactions; there has been reckless behaviour on the part of citizens, either due to fatigue or complacency. The Centre and Delhi government worked well together in dealing with the enhanced number of cases in the past. Home Minister Amit Shah has now taken a spate of decisions, from improving medical infrastructure and enhancing hospital beds for patients and so on.

While the governments have to do their bit and ensure greater testing to track cases and adequate infrastructure to save lives, there is a great responsibility on citizens. There is no alternative to limiting movement to essential activities, wearing masks, maintaining physical distance, and washing hands. It is quite staggering to see people act against their self-interest. And if this persists, restrictions will inevitably come into force with great costs for the economy and livelihoods yet again. People must reform their behaviour or be ready for more disruption.

B Ahsanullah, Delhi

Researchers worldwide are working around the clock to find vaccine against Covid - 19. Delightfully, a number of vaccines are coming out with flying colors, and it's a good sign for the people of all walks of life. Recently, Pfizer - BioNTech and Moderna showed in the initial finding their vaccine is in the vicinity of 94.5% effective. Hopefully, Others Vaccines may come out with greater efficiency. Reportedly, over 20 million doses of vaccine may with arrival of 2021. The goal is to work with vaccine manufacturers to offer low cost covid - 19 vaccines to poor countries for the ethical distribution of vaccine. A vaccine will be a vital tool for controlling the pandemic and we are encouraged by the preliminary results of the clinical trials released.

Shruti Raikwar, Ujjain