Dear Reader,
If things were not bad enough already, the ugly head of racism against people from the Northeast propped up again this week.
A 21-year-old YouTuber from Ludhiana was arrested for his purported racial remarks against Congress MLA and former Union minister Ninong Ering. The gamer had uploaded a video where he commented on Ering’s appearance saying he did not “look Indian” and claimed that Arunachal Pradesh was not a part of India, but in China.
Meanwhile, in Assam, the new state government plans to implement a law to protect cows in the next Assembly session, announced Governor Jagdish Mukhi. Cow slaughter is legal in Assam currently. The proposed Bill “envisages imposition of complete ban on transport of cattle outside the state”.
Prepping for the floods
With the monsoons looming, the Assam government is taking steps to prepare for the annual deluge. While the government has announced a number of schemes to tackle the floods, there is a late but significant step that may have slipped under the radar. Last week, the government notified sanitary napkins as an essential flood relief item. The move comes after a two-year-long digital campaign on the plight of women in flood camps by Tezpur-based public health activist Mayuri Bhattacharjee.
Bhattacharjee has been campaigning for ‘dignity in floods’ for two years now, with a set of demands to make flood relief shelters more women-friendly. While she hopes that more of her demands will be met, she is happy that at least a first step has been taken.
“Menstruation is taboo talk, and has only come into public discourse recently,” she said.
In other news
In a long-anticipated move, the Assam government has announced a wage hike of Rs 38 for the state’s tea garden labourers. Tea garden workers will get the increased wage with retrospective effect from February 23, the government said. Prior to the hike, the workers’ wage ranged from Rs. 145 to Rs 167 depending on location.
After several complaints of exorbitant rates for the treatment of Covid-19 patients, the Manipur government put a cap on charges of treatment in private hospitals. Read here.
Before you go
Do not forget to read this interview of the ONGC staffer who was released by ULFA last week. Retul Saikia, 38, recounted to us: “In the jungles, I could not tell night from day. I would spend agonising hours thinking about my son’s laugh, or worrying about my parents. I was completely cut off.”
Until next week,
Tora Agarwala
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