Udayan Hazarika
(The writer can be reached at udayanhazarika@hotmail.com)
The recent visit of the Union Home Minister to the State was considered of crucial importance in view of the forthcoming elections to the State Assembly. However, the visit has left no important marker in the minds of public which can be viewed as a big achievement for the party in power. The organizers perhaps had expected much more than what they have realised finally from the meeting. State Finance Minister Shri H.B. Sarma perhaps had given a good thought before selecting the venue for the meeting in his constituency where he has full control over everything including ensuring presence of a good gathering. However, as usual people from Guwahati and nearby places were collected and taken to the meeting by bus and they had attended the meeting. Newspaper reporting of the meeting was critical taking into account of Mr Shah s speech in which he preferred not to mention some very crucial issues of the State.
Udayan Hazarika
(The writer can be reached at udayanhazarika@hotmail.com)
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has recently (12th December 2020) released the fifth National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) Factsheet. The fact sheet is the compilation of the findings of household level surveys conducted under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare covering 6.1 lakh households on various vital issues namely health, family planning, nutrition, etc. The present Fact Sheet labelled as Phase –I covers 22 States and Union Territories namely Assam, Bihar, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Telangana, West Bengal, Mizoram, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu. As survey could not be completed in the remaining 12 States and five Union Territories due to Covid-19 pandemic, the report in respect of these States and UTs is expected in May next