Hindi
21 June, 2019: Dainik Jagran talks of the new agenda of the NDA government enumerated by President Ram Nath Kovind in his speech addressing a joint session of Parliament. ‘Sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas’ is the dictum, and the focus is on rural India, youth and women.
Amar Ujala says President Kovind spoke of ending caste and religion-based discrimination — this shouldn’t remain as a mere formality. The government has talked of cooperative federalism for a strong, safe and all-encompassing India — it now needs to walk the talk.
Dainik Bhaskar tackles the concept of “one nation one poll”. Simultaneous polls have been held four times since Independence. It is a fact that simultaneous elections will impact regional parties the most and that is why they have been the most vocal in their opposition to this idea. Also, what happens when there is a hung House or a government falls in a year — will elections be held to elect a new government? The committee that examines the feasibility of the idea will have to grapple with these issues.
20 June: Dainik Jagran says the boycott of the all-party meet on “one nation one poll” by the opposition is “vyarthka bahishkar”. The Congress and seven other political parties should have attended it and expressed their opposition at the meeting. Today, one reason why the country is trailing behind many developing countries is the frequent election cycle — huge amounts of money are spent in the process. Also, if it could be done earlier, the why can’t it be done now?
Dainik Bhaskar says the selection of Om Birla as the Lok Sabha Speaker surprised many, but it indicates many things. Most importantly, it breaks with tradition as everyone thought a five to seven term MP would be made the Speaker and not a two-time MP. It also indicates a shift of power in Rajashthan’s BJP leadership — the move appears to strengthen the anti-Vasundhara Raje camp.
19 June: Dainik Bhaskar is scathing about the deaths of children in Bihar in “Anam bukhar, bacchon ki mautey aur sarkar”. It rebukes official apathy: with over 100 deaths, the state health minister instead of showing concern kept asking for cricket score at an official meeting. AES is not a new disease, but still the government has been caught napping. Hopefully, the government has some plans to beat this virus by next year.
18 June: Dainik Jagran says the deepening water crisis across the country indicates an acute drinking water shortage along with a scarcity of irrigation water. Farmers have been told that cane and rice cultivation is depleting groundwater and they need to think of alternate crops. But, farmers need to be educated on alternatives. There is also a need to have new irrigation techniques, which require less water.
Amar Ujala says that while Modi’s focus was on Swachh Bharat in his first term, this time it is on ‘nal se jal’— providing tap water to all households in the coming five years. India is dependent on groundwater for its 80 per cent drinking needs and two-thirds of its irrigation needs. At the moment, just 16 per cent households get piped water. Piped water is a tough task, but we need to pay attention to water conservation and management too.
17 June: Amar Ujala focuses on the deaths of over 100 children in Bihar due to encephalitis and on doctors’ security. Lack of doctors and infrastructure in Muzaffarpur hospital tell us how non-serious the government is about health infrastructure. The situation is so acute that the hospital — Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital — where the children are being treated doesn’t even have enough doctors in the ICU.
Tamil
21 June: Dinamani’s editorial is critical of elected representatives shouting slogans in Parliament during their oath-taking. It questions Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi’s sudden love for Ambedkar with his “Jai Bhim slogan”. When there are many pressing issues across the country such as drought and water scarcity, unemployment, rise in food prices, “how can these representatives of 130 crore Indians cheer in the Parliament with their sloganeering?”, it asks.
“People did not vote for you to shout slogans in the Parliament. Do not ruin the decorum of the House,” the paper says.
The Hindu Tamil writes on Bihar children deaths. It says the outbreak cannot be treated as health and hygiene issue. It should be seen as a socio-economic problem. The government should allocate funds to feed poor children three meals a day. It goes on to say that “henceforth such individual deaths should never happen. Not just poor children but there should not be a situation where even their family members go hungry”.
20 June: Dinamani’s editorial is on PM Modi’s inaugural comments about the opposition just prior to the Parliament session. It welcomes PM’s words that an active opposition is important for a democracy. It also says, “We shall get to know whether it is a formality or it is meant only through the parliamentary proceedings”. It goes on to say that with the ruling party enjoying a huge majority, there should not be any disruptions to the daily proceedings of the House. “The victory of democracy can only be determined by the opportunities given to the opposition and the quality of debate in the house,” it says.
The Hindu Tamil writes on the doctors’ strike in West Bengal. It says such incidents cannot be just dealt as a law and order issue. “A terminally-ill patient” or a seriously injured patient going for treatment to a hospital should be made to understand that the treatment can only be partially helpful due to their condition. Structural changes have to be made. Governments should appoint more doctors and nurses on priority, it says.
19 June: Dinamani’s editorial analyses Modi’s recently concluded Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek. It says there was a feeling that PM Modi was very enthusiastic about the Bishek summit. “India’s new opportunities, the reassertion coming from his electoral victory has made him more significant in the world arena,” it writes. The paper goes on to say that there is a huge difference between Modi in his first term and second term. The indication of these changes comes from Modi’s speech in the summit.
18 June: Dinamani’s editorial is about the strike of West Bengal doctors. It says violence against medical professionals is completely unacceptable. More than 77 per cent of the doctors work in an environment that is prone to some form of violence. There are not enough doctors to serve the people. If only these hard truths arising out of the West Bengal doctors’ strike would get the attention of the administrators, there could be a good outcome to a “terrible incident”.
17 June: The Hindu Tamil’s editorial is on Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy’s move to appoint five deputy chief ministers, who will also represent SC, ST, and other minorities. It says, “This cannot be just taken as a political strategy but a big step towards decentralisation of power.” Another significant aspect about Jagan’s cabinet is the appointment of Mekathoti Sucharita, a Dalit, as the state Home Minister. The most commendable thing about Jagan’s government is that it practises inclusivity. “Leaders all over India should follow Jagan’s steps,” it says.