Footmouth Disease: Drinking Carcinogens; Affirmative Reaction

Opinion Watch          

Footmouth Disease

The Hindustan Times in its Editorial has said that the action of R N Ravi, Governor of Tamil Nadu, to dismiss the arrested minister V Senthil Balaji unfortune, and detrimental to the national unity, while the move infringes on the stat’s domain. The daily at the same time stated that investigation against charges of corruption should be swift for those holding public offices.

The New Delhi-based daily stated that the actions of Governors in the BJP-ruled states rarely merit attention, but they have been at loggerheads with elected governments in the Opposition-ruled states. The daily mentioned the speech of B R Ambedkar in the Constituent Assembly in June 1949 wherein he had said that the Governor has no function at all that he can discharge on his own.

Politics is not static that situations of 1949 will hold waters in 2023, and thus the role of the Governor is also evolving. Some of them can even be instrument of change of governments, while some are hand-picked in sensitive states to hand-hold newcomers in powers.       

Drinking Carcinogens

The Tribune has said in its Editorial that the “latest WHO warning, to be announced mid-July after a review of aspartame’s safety, should be a wake-up call for the users of sugar substitutes. Notably, the WHO had last month advised people against using all artificial sweeteners, including aspartame, saccharin, sucralose and stevia. It said that while they did nothing to reduce weight, they increased the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart ailments and mortality in adults.”

The Chandigarh-based daily, while commenting on the finding that carbonated drinks can potentially be carcinogenic, also underlined the deepening debate among the scientists and health experts on one side and the cola industry on the other hand on determining the ill-effect of the fuzzy sweeteners.

Regulations in the US are hostage to fat money lobbies as seen in free gun culture. But ironically other countries too have been timid in enforcing strict health regulations on food items.

Affirmative Reaction

The Asian Age in its Editorial has said that the decision of the Supreme Court in the US to overturn the affirmative action in colleges is a stunning blow to the efforts of the administration to make campuses inclusive of Blacks and Hispanics.

The daily also claimed that the Supreme Court decision will be favourable to the Asian students, including Indians and Chinese in the US campuses, arguing that they come from affluent backgrounds and know the trick of the trade to crack the entrance system.

Reservation in the name of positive discrimination is the simplest and easiest way for the politicians, including the Democrats in the US to appeal to a particular electoral constituency. The hard way is to build capacity at the grassroots levels with investment for true empowerment.    

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