Tripura CM says oxygen levels will ‘automatically’ rise in water bodies if ducks swim in them
Agartala : Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said he wants to distribute ducks among villagers in the state because he believes they will boost the rural economy. But the chief minister also claims ducks provide additional benefits: he says they recycle water, and their swimming increases oxygen levels in water bodies.
Deb was addressing an inaugural event of a traditional boat race at Rudrasagar, an artificial lake around water palace Neermahal, when he made the statement. The chief minister told the audience that he planned to distribute 50,000 ducklings to fishermen who lived near the lake. The chief minister said that white ducklings would also be distributed to villagers across Tripura, especially at tourist destinations near waterbodies, to enhance natural beauty and boost the rural economy. Then, Deb explained why it was beneficial to have ducks.
“When ducks swim in water, oxygen level automatically increases in the waterbody. It (oxygen) gets recycled. Fish in the water will get more oxygen. They also benefit from the bird droppings. Thus, pisciculture will benefit and fishes will grow faster, that too in a completely organic way”, Deb said.
Mihir Lal Roy of the Tripura Juktibad Vikas Mancha, said the chief minister’s comments on oxygen levels rising due to ducks swimming was “loose talk” and didn’t have any scientific basis. The Tripura Juktibad Vikas Mancha is an organization that works for the propagation of scientific thought, and has been operational in the state since 2010.
Roy said integrated animal rearing is good and helps boost production. However, Deb’s theories on oxygen levels in water bodies was baseless, he said.
“I am not sure why he has made these comments. We expect sound knowledge from a chief minister. It is true that waterbodies get aerated if there is movement in the water. But there is no scientific evidence that swimming ducks can do the job”, Roy said.
Tripura Pradesh Congress Tapas Dey criticized the chief minister’s comments and said a serious policy suggestion, which involves livelihood of thousands of people, should be made on the basis of sound and proper scientific evidence.
CPM state secretary Bijan Dhar declined to comment on the issue. “I am not aware how few ducks will release oxygen in a large lake like Rudrasagar. I shall not comment on it,” he said.
Deb also claimed previous CPM government damaged village culture
In his speech, the Tripura chief minister said he wants every family to rear four to five ducks. Rearing ducks will help meet all the protein and vitamin requirements of children in the family, he said.
Deb claimed the rearing of ducks and poultry was a part of the old village culture, which was damaged during the 25 years of CPM-led Left Front rule. He defended his comments saying the CPM leaders would forced people to attend their rallies, which were held frequently.
The CM also told landless villagers not to worry about not having land for duck rearing.
“You don’t need to have land for rearing ducks. The government will distribute white ducklings to you. Rear them in Rudrasagar. It will be a great attraction to see thousands of white ducks swimming in the lake”, he said.
Earlier this year, Deb made a series of gaffes. The Tripura chief minister claimed that ancient Indians had access to the internet and artificial satellites in the age of the Mahabharata. He claimed Gautam Buddha walked over the sea to Japan and former Miss World Diana Hayden was unworthy of being a beauty pageant winner.
courtesy : indianexpress.com
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PM must clarify whether he endorses Sarma's 'utterly shameful' remarks on Kharge: Priyanka
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New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday said the use of "abusive" language by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma against Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is "utterly shameful" and added Prime Minister Narendra Modi must clarify whether he endorses this "insult".
Sarma had triggered a row on Tuesday when he hit out at Kharge, saying that he was "speaking like a mad man" due to old age, after the latter put the onus on central agencies to probe the charges made against the Assam chief minister.
In a post in Hindi on X, Priyanka Gandhi said, "The kind of abusive and derogatory language used by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma against the Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, is utterly shameful and unacceptable."
She said Kharge is one of the most senior leaders in the country and serves as an enlightened representative not only of the Congress party but also of the Dalits and the marginalised sections of the nation.
"By insulting him, the BJP chief minister has insulted crores of people across the country," she said.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi must clarify to the nation: does he endorse this insult directed at crores of Indians?" she said.
The Congress on Tuesday accused Sarma of insulting party chief Kharge and demanded an unconditional apology from him for his "deplorable conduct" that it alleged reflects the "anti-Dalit mindset" of the BJP.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday had said the use of "derogatory language" against party chief Mallikarjun Kharge by Sarma was an insult to the entire SC/ST community, and the silence of Prime Minister Modi on the matter "is not his helplessness, but his consent".
"If the prime minister sees an attack on the dignity of crores of Dalits in the country and does not speak up - he is not only shirking his responsibility, but is also a party to that insult," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
Gandhi said the use of "vulgar and derogatory language" by Sarma against Kharge "is entirely condemnable, shameful, and unacceptable".
"Kharge ji is a senior and popular Dalit leader of the country - his experience, stature, and prestige are unparalleled. Insulting him is not an insult to one individual alone, but also to crores of people from the SC-ST community in this country," he posted.
This, he said, just reflected the "old and premeditated mindset" of the BJP-RSS and was nothing new.
"Whether it is the insult to Babasaheb Ambedkar, belittling Dalit leaders, or personal attacks on representatives of the SC-ST community - the history of BJP and RSS bears witness that whenever a Dalit leader speaks the truth, they stoop to humiliate him," Gandhi said.
"This is their ideology, this is their true character and face," he added.
Posing a direct question to the prime minister, he asked, "Do you support Himanta Sarma's use of this language? Your silence is not helplessness, it is consent."
