NURSING RIVERS
   Date :05-Oct-2019

AFTER the devastating floods in Punjab in August, Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh has made up his mind to go for cannalisation of three rivers to avoid further disasters. His proposal seeks help from World Bank and is being touted as a one-time solution to avoid floods. However, the plan needs serious and thorough evaluation since concrete-based solutions have produced mixed results. Experts have warned against playing with the natural course of rivers as concrete embankments have served a limited purpose. India is prone to extreme rainfall events which causes more damage to floodplains along such embankments. Though concrete canals are seen as a lifetime security for regions along the river, it is a double-edged sword. The Jal Shakti Ministry does have plans to inter-link rivers but how much does it include changing the natural flow of rivers is still a point of debate. Capt. Singh’s intentions are people-friendly and can work as a long-term solution. Yet, cannalisation needs to be approached with extreme caution and mitigation measures.
FAKE NEWS
INFORMATION and Broadcasting Minister Mr. Prakash Javdekar has rightly lamented that there is no regulatory mechanism to keep a watch on the over-the-top (OTT) platforms which have become a source for airing news and other material lacking in authentication. These platforms have become a menace for public peace. Mr. Javdekar has said that fake news is more dangerous than paid news. However, the comparison is totally misplaced because both are highly corrupting elements, and an aberration for journalistic values. But such a helplessness in curbing these corrupting elements would do much harm to social health and embolden the perpetrators of this kind of unhygienic stuff. When all other main stream media sources, like the print and the electronic news media and film industry have their own monitoring mechanisms well entrenched in their systems, why the OTT should not have some kind of regulatory mechanism? If these platforms are misusing the freedom, they need to be reined in for public good.