Projects for votes
Whenever elections are round the corner every government goes on an overdrive with a slew of projects which were otherwise kept in cold storage. One classic example is the upcoming district hospital at Margao where work was started during the Congress regime, but stopped in 2012 for reasons unknown when the present dispensation came to power. It was then restarted for obvious reasons and with a psychological ploy to woo the electorate.
This modus operandi is outdated at least in Goa where the electorate are smart and educated enough to see through these games, as was seen at the 2012 hustings where the Congress was made to bite the dust. Considering the pathetic conditions at the Hospicio hospital , it would have done a world of good to the people of South Goa if the new hospital was fast tracked much earlier so that by now we could have had a modern hospital in place. Development and governance go hand in hand and is a continuous process and no amount of cosmetic make up of roads, building of bridges etc at the fag end of a five year term can assuage public feelings
Lucas D'Souza, Verna
Unsportsmanlike
It's indeed regrettable that captain of Indian T20 team playing at the T20 world cup, M S Dhoni should lose his cool at a question posed by a journalist after India just scraped through against Bangladesh by one run.Dhoni is fortunate that Bangladesh somehow contrived to lose the plot after being 145 for 6 wickets with just two runs required and three balls left of the last over. He should have replied to the journo's query in a light hearted way. He and the team must keep in mind that they are there because of peoples' support.
Alzira Colaco, Nuvem
A new Saint
Pope Francis declared that Mother Teresa will be made a saint on September 4, 2016. The news was received with jubilation by communities in India. Mother Teresa, through her extraordinary work of love for the poorest of the poor, earned India a very special place in the world. In 1997, the then UPA government at the centre paid the highest homage to Mother Teresa by giving her a state funeral with full military honours normally given to the very prominent among leaders of the nation.
Representatives of over hundred nations and world dignitaries attended her funeral services, recognizing her contribution to the cause of world peace and eradication of misery. They acknowledge her as a citizen of the world. She was the Guardian Angel of the poorest of the poor. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and the Bharat Ratna in 1980, apart from other national and international awards. The Ministry of Finance should bring out a special commemorative coin and India Post, a commemorative stamp, to perpetuate her memory of Mother Teresa on being declared a Saint of the Catholic Church by Pope Francis.
Melson FM Louis, Margao
