Meghalaya goes the Sri Lanka way

 

Sri Lanka’s economic downfall is a case study for countries around the world and policy makers in Meghalaya in India's northeast realized belatedly how one of its policies was an exact replica of Sri Lanka’s.

 

 

According to economists, one of the policies that contributed to Sri Lanka’s economic downfall was the decision to shift from traditional farming methods to organic. This policy was implemented strictly from 2019 by Sri Lanka strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa with an import ban on agro chemicals.

 

 

After the diktat, there was a steep decline in production with farmers unable to get organic fertilizers or had little knowledge to deal with the new farming practice. The yield decreased drastically and tea and rice production were badly hit.

 

 

Similarly, Meghalaya banned subsidies on chemical fertilizers in 2014 under the then Congress-led government with Mukul Sangma as the Chief Minister on the advice of some over-enthusiastic bureaucrats.

 

 

The decision to ban subsidies on fertilizers was taken to "protect the environment" but in reality Meghalaya was in a hurry to capture the niche organic market.

 

 

Like Sri Lanka, there was an acute shortage of organic fertilizers in the state. Seven years later in 2021 the state government opened a bio-fertilizers production unit at the suburbs of the state capital. But by then damage was done and it was too little too late.

 

 

Faced with an acute shortage of organic fertilizers coupled with little knowledge on organic farming the farmers turned to chemical fertilizers albeit without the subsidy.

 

 

Black marketers thrived and farmers got the fertilizers at double and triple the regulated market rate. In turn, the cost of production increased and the policy to shift to organic farming went for a toss.

 

Recently, the state government reversed its policy and declared that it would lift the ban on fertilizers subsidy and would allow 50 percent subsidy to buy chemical fertilizers.

 

 

Now the state government is in talks with the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers to release the state’s quota of chemical fertilizers since the ministry stopped the supply after the ban on subsidy.

 

 

Once this quota is released Meghalaya State Cooperative Marketing and Consumers' Federation Limited would handle the distribution of the subsidized fertilizers to the farmers.

 

 

Although agriculture is not self-sufficient in agricultural produce, this decision to lift the ban would provide solace to the farmers and in return  consumers would benefit from price reduction due to optimum production.  

Spartan Warrior fights on

He is no Spartan king Leonidos, but his fight isn’t any less noble than the Greek warrior king because Bristerlet Ramsiej has vowed to fight and make Nongstoin a safer place for his townsfolk.

 

Ramsiej, a chef at a resort in Meghalaya's West Khasi Hills district, was pained to see young bikers not wearing helmets and also riding rough. So he thought of taking direct action and then dug up some old bronze utensils from the attic.

 

“I took out the entire old bronze utensils from home and took it up to my friend who is a blacksmith and crafted out a helmet that resembles one that was used by the Spartan warriors, including king Leonidos,” he chuckled.

 

The helmet was popularized in the Hollywood blockbuster 300 which depicts the Spartan king Leonidos leading 300 of the best Spartan warriors to defend for freedom against tens of thousands of Persian army.

 

Ramsiej watched the movie several times and thought of taking up the role of king Leonidos in real life. So after he made the helmet he wore it and rode the entire town for the next couple of days, which literally turned heads. 

His message is simple: “wear helmets for safety and comply with the law of the land.”

 

Wherever he went he spoke to riders urging them to wear helmets. “My message is to spread awareness to my fellow riders all over to always wear helmets with ISI mark and obey traffic rules,” Ramsiej said.

 

He further said that he has been creating awareness not just on wearing helmets, but also to ride safely. “Riders should not use the road as a racing track,” he suggested.

 

Statistics available for the year 2018 reveals that 196 persons died in road accidents  and another 232 were injured across the state. Out of this total there were 33 two wheeler riders who died and another 35 were injured. 

In 2017, there were 232 persons who died in road accidents and 379 were injured. Out of these, 37 persons who died were two wheeler riders and another 42 persons were injured.

Ramseij, who also owns an eatery in Nongstoin town, says he is currently busy with his business and his profession as a chef at the resort, but he would squeeze out some time and take out his bike to create awareness in Shillong.

 

“I will definitely come to Shillong wearing the helmet and raise awareness not just on wearing a helmet but also safe riding.  The reason being that many blame “the will of God” when accidents occur. “God protects those who know how to protect themselves, ” the warrior in Ramsiej said.

LEARNING FROM BUDHIA SINGH

Lynti Jingkyrmen Kharjarin 

As nine-year-old wonder kid, Lynti Jingkyrmen Kharjarin blasted across the finish line, people hugged and raised her so high she might have well seen Budhia Singh jogging away down the horizon. 

If our memory fails to reach Budhia of Odisha, let’s recap. Budhia who ran from Puri to Bhubaneswar (65 km) at the age of 5, is one of our many failed dreams.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budhia_Singh

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-12745490 

Such dreams, in a cricket-crazy nation, are built like sand castles for those brash moments of pride and pleasure before these crumble with the slightest wave of reality.

With Budhia our collective aspirations ran and ran out of steam and lost out on many precious things, like Budhia’s childhood. The murder of his coach Biranchi Das’ followed and of course the dream to hoist the tricolor on the highest pedestal went off-track.

To start with Kharjarin is another beautiful dream. She has won the Pinkathon held in Guwahati recently. She came first in the women’s 5k long distant running.

Immediately after Guwahati, the same girl came second in the “10 km marathon” organized by the State Government during the recent National Milk Day.

What is highly commendable is that she came second in the open category and competed with some fine “adult” athletes from Mawkyrwat, West Khasi Hills – probably the Mecca of long distant running in India now – and rest of the State.

There is more: Kharjarin came second with a timing of 46:14 minutes in the race. That’s about 7.5 minute per mile or 4.6 minute per kilometer.

Anyone into long distance running would vouch that a 6 minute per mile is awesome and Kharjarin’s 7.5 minute can be termed as promising because of her age and also the terrain she ran on.

The 10k distance she covered was from Polo grounds to the State Central library which has an elevation of about 74 meter overall on an undulating terrain and freezing temperature in the morning.

Like Budhia, Kharjarin also comes from an economical backward family. Her parents are farmers from Sakwang village in Mawkyrwat and she has seven siblings.

She too is being guided by her local coach Jomsingstar Ramsiej, who recently received his coaching certificate from Kolkata and is an athlete himself.

“Kharjarin’s diet…she takes normal food. We train regularly sometimes running long distance, sometimes through rough terrain and on other days fast walking,” Ranseij informed about the kid’s daily training regime.

It all sounds fine till here, but if Kharjarin were to compete with the Kenyans or say the Ethiopians one day, as she dreams of, it would need more than normal food and training she gets now.

This is where the Government needs to step in and of course those enthusiasts who are into long distance running to support the kid. It would be great if this Class 4 student from Tenset Secondary School is provided a scholarship.

If in another four to five years she keeps on running, the Government must assist her in not just in getting her better sports gears (not like the one’s she wore in the last race,) training facilities and all necessary support.

But most importantly, she shouldn’t be pushed to achieve greatness so as to snatch away her childhood and lastly not paraded as a trophy like Budhia.

Meghalayan Age or Age of Destruction!

Stalagmite sample from Mawmluh Cave

We are now officially living in the Meghalayan age, and this could also possibly be the “age of destruction” and an example is the Mawmluh Cave, which provided clues for this age, but is now under threat of being destroyed.

Select people are aware around the world that the bedrock for determining the age was laid by Prof. Ashish Sinha from the University of California, US in 2003.

When Prof. Sinha visited Meghalaya he took Stalagmite samples from Mawmluh cave near Sohra (Cherrapunjee) to the US for further studies as part of his research on the Indian Monsoon.

The samples provided the best chemical signatures how 4200 years back the Earth suddenly dried up owing to scant or no rainfall. The study was then carried forward by Prof. Sinha and other collaborating scientists and the results were published in 2012.

 

Mawmluh Cave entrance

Subsequently the International Commission on Stratigraphy named the age as “Meghalayan” after the place where the samples were taken from.

But here is the other part of the story. The Mawmluh Cave which provided vital signatures is under the Mawmluh Cheera Cements Limited and continued mining is destroying the Cave system. Not just Mawmluh, a large number of Caves in Meghalaya are under threat from illegal mining.

Inside Mawmluh Cave

Speaking over the phone from California, Prof. Sinha said, he has seen the  mining that's being carried out and destroying the Cave systems and the ecosystem therein.

“Countries around the world preserve Caves. Some Cave systems in different parts of the world are protected just like National Parks, Archeological sites and historical monuments. Caves are a storehouse of scientific data and a diverse ecosystem,” the scientist said.

He said that some of the different species that are being discovered in the caves could  possibly provide cure for diseases and advance research works. There are more reasons why the policy makers should protect these Caves and the environment.

Prof. Sinha says that across the globe it was found that rainfall pattern has become erratic due to “super-fast” climate change. “Of course there were climate changes through different ages in the present epoch (Greenlandian 11700 years that ended the ice age. Northgrippian, 8300 years ago, chilled the earth again.) But the rate at which climate change is taking place, mainly due to human interfernces now, is a matter of deep concern,” Prof. Sinha said.

Prof. Ashish SInha

In the previous ages, the climate changes were natural, but in Meghalayan age unprecedented human interventions and exploitation of Nature and its resources has accelerated climate change and destruction of the environment like the Mawmluh Cave.

Meanwhile, Prof. Sinha explained how the Stalagmites determined the present age. He said, rainwater dissolves Uranium in rocks and over time these are locked inside Stalagmites.

As Uranium decays, carbon dating Stalagmite samples makes it possible to date them. Then, Oxygen from rainwater found embedded in these stalagmites are analyzed. 

Two Oxygen Isotopes the lighter ¹⁶O and the heavier ¹⁸O are taken into consideration. The ratio of their distribution in the Stalagmites depends on the rainfall over the surface of the caves and therefore the amount of rainfall in a specific age is corelated.

Caves are the best places to get such samples as they remain hidden from the elements and therefore provide pristine samples. “The dating of the Mawmluh Stalagmites and determining the rainfall over the Caves over a period of 4200 years was similarly done,” Prof. Sinha said.

The Paleo-climatologist said the Mawmluh Cave which has helped embed Meghalaya’s name deep into Earth’s history for Epoch’s to come, needs more respect and must be ensured they aren't destroyed. (Eom)

MEGHALAYA CM'S OFFICE GOES GREEN

ST Photo

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s office has gone green with his chamber being made plastic free and all his stationary and letter heads coming from recycled paper.

Sangma a self proclaimed environmentalist earlier today walked six km from his residence at 3^rd Mile Upper Shillong to the State central Library to celebrate the World Environment Day.

“We have to focus on three Rs: Reuse, Recycle and Reduce. I have reduced my carbon footprint by saving at least three litre of petrol by walking today and we are also recycling paper,” he told the gathering which comprised of officials and school students.

He informed that in the past few months he have asked officials to make his chamber plastic free and it was done and now the next target is to get the Secretariat plastic free.

Under the plan all Government offices would be made plastic free, which Sangma said, would encourage others to follow. “We need to set example not just paste posters on such occasion like world environment day,” he said.

Moreover, he informed that all his stationary and letter head from today would come from recycled paper. The paper that goes to waste from the secretariat is being recycled for this purpose.  “I have also asked officials to power my office chamber from renewable energy be it solar or wind. This would be done in the next three months,” Sangma said.

The CM said that the whole of the Secretariat and Government offices and Government schools and colleges in the State would be powered with renewable energy like solar and wind in the near future.

“The Government offices are closed on Saturdays and Sundays, so the power that is generated could be sent back to the grid, which would help maybe light up a village for a day or two,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the Government launched the “adopt one tree” programme in which each citizen would be encouraged to adopt a tree and nurture it. “We need to identify the tree that we have nurtured to full growth and the source from where we get our oxygen,” Sangma said.

Under the scheme, 17 lakh saplings would be distributed to people in the State through various departments. Moreover, the State Government has also decided to include in schools syllabus, Environment studies, so that children are drawn to environment protection and mitigation plans from a tender age.

TOUCHING FEET NOT SAME AS HUGGING: RAHUL GANDHI

Congress president, Rahul Gandhi today said that Prime Minister Modi “maintains a distance with poor people and therefore doesn’t hugs them,” even though he may well have touched the feet of poor persons.

“Touching feet and hugging are two different things. Hugging is a physical closeness. It’s a particular distance he (PM) maintains with poor people which he doesn’t maintain with Obama or others,” Rahul said while interacting with the media here in Shillong, Meghalaya's State Capital.

The AICC president was reacting to reports of him wearing an expensive jacket here, while his party attacked the Prime Minister in 2015 for wearing an expensive suit and later dubbed the BJP as a “suit boot ka sarkar.”

“Somebody gave that to me (jacket,)” Rahul said on the controversy, but went on to say that the prime Minister deliberately maintains a distance from the poor and so it is a suit boot ka sarkar.

He further said you will not see a him (PM) hug a poor man talk to a poor person, talk or engage to a person. You will see him with others."   

The AICC president said the BJP Government is waiving off credits of powerful businessmen in the country, but is not taking similar steps for poor farmers. He said that the policy of the BJP indicates it is not for the poor.

Meanwhile, Rahul skirted a question when asked if it was okay for the Congress if the BJP considers withdrawal of criminal cases registered against the members of the majority community in view of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s consideration of withdrawing criminal cases registered against the minority community in the southern state.

GIVE UP SC, ST, OBC STATUS- RAMDAS ATHAWALE SMILES

Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale today said he “would look into it” whether wealthy Scheduled Castes, Tribes and Other Backward Castes would be asked to voluntarily “give up” their claim on job and education reservation.

Addressing a press Conference in Shillong, Meghalaya's Capital, Athwale said that he has suggested to the Centre to create reservation within the General category based on their economic status “without disturbing the quota belonging to SCs, STs and OBCs.”

“I have suggested to the Central Government that a Bill in the Parliament is introduced and passed so that there is reservation for the general category based on economic status so that the quota of the SCs, STs and OBCs are maintained. I hope that the Government would respond favourably,” the Union Minister, who is also the founder of the Republican Party of India (Ambedkar,) said.

However, when the Minister was asked if he would similarly suggest to the Centre to also look into the economic status of SCs, STs and OBC and encourage them to give up their claim on job and education reservation, Athwale was initially hesitant to answer, but said that he would look into the suggestion.

Athwale, who is a Dalit leader from Maharashtra, was non-committal if he would set the trend by first giving up claim on job and education reservation under his reserved category.

He further stated that the division between castes in India can be reduced through inter-marriages and therefore the Government has announced the Dr. Ambedkar Scheme for Social Integration through Inter-Caste Marriage in which an incentive of 2.5 lakh is given.

Under the scheme if one of the spouses is from a Scheduled category and the other is not the incentive can be claimed by the couple within a year of their marriage, after furnishing documents validating the marriage and provided that the annual income of the couple is not over Rs. 5 lakh.