17 Degrees; Deadly Democracy; Mr Professor
Opinion Watch
17 Degrees
The Indian Express in its Editorial, while commenting on the global average temperature breaching 17 degrees a week ago and again breaking record in following days, said that the events related to climate change are sudden and intense. The daily stated that the average heat days too in India have gone up from seven in 2015 to 33 now.
The Noida-based daily linked jump in number of deaths due to heatstroke, 11 in Mumbai earlier this year and several in eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh, to the grim reality of the climate change. It urged upon the local governments to get heat action plan in place.
Rainwaters in bedrooms in Gurgaon and Delhi are now new norms, and the local governments nowhere in the country seem sensitized to work out climate action plans due to their preoccupation with vote buying schemes. It’s incumbent that the waterbodies be freed from the clutches of the builder mafia and the cities lay drains for the next 100 years.
Deadly Democracy
The Economic Times, ironically, appears to be among the few dailies which commented on the deadly violence in the panchayat elections in West Bengal. With 18 people left dead at the end of the polls which saw over 80 per cent voters’ turnout, the daily reasoned that there’s a battle of “battle of victimization” among the key actors.
The business daily suggested that the cadre violence in the state is a mark of show of strength in West Bengal. It cautioned that 80.9 per cent turnout not be seen as voters’ courage, for its may suggest coercion or ‘yeh saab idhar chalta hai’.
West Bengal was the torch bearer in the Indian social reform movement, as well as industrialization. But the state now as a norm makes news just for political violence.
Mr Professor
The Telegraph, in place of carrying an Editorial of poll violence, has commented on the University Grants Commission (UGC) “silently” doing away with the requirement of the doctoral degrees for recruitment for assistant professors. The daily has reminded that the National Education Policy 2020 had previously done away with M.Phil.
The Kolkata-based daily has claimed that the move aimed to enlarge the pool of applicants for teaching jobs is an attack on research. The daily has also argued that the move may create only confusion, for the higher education institutions may prefer candidates with PhD degrees.
A report by the Ministry of Science and technology to the Lok Sabha had stated sharp dip in approval of research scholarships since the outbreak of the pandemic. While the government grows cold to research works in education, education mafias for long had been selling doctoral degrees to bring them down to the value of trash to command any sympathy now that it is dustbined.
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