An open letter to the chief minister

“Give the man a fish he will survive for a day. Teach him how to fish he will survive his whole life”.

ByIFP Bureau

Updated 26 Jul 2021, 6:16 pm

(PHOTO: IFP)
(PHOTO: IFP)

The irony here is we keep rewarding the winners. A winner work for his whole life and he knows how to survive. The important thing to note here is, the reward should be provided to those who are working equally hard like Mirabai Chanu. But who is yet to win anything. You never rewarded her when she lost and finish sixth in Rio. I would be very happy had you awarded her when she lost at Rio. Now, should Mirabai accept the Rs 1 crore award? Let better sense prevail. Take it and donate to the people of Manipur who had suffered enough during this pandemic.

Till date, there are more than 92,000 total COVID-19 confirmed cases in Manipur. And the death toll is inching close to 1500-mark. Over 10,000 patients are still under treatment in hospital. More than 1,000 cases are being reported daily in Manipur.

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The point here is that even if the achievement by our own lifted the spirits of people, it is no time to celebrate. The battle against COVID-19 still rages on. The pandemic is still burning like a wildfire. 

Even if it is an Olympic silver medal, we can't compare a medal with a death.

I really want the focus to be on the doctors and frontline workers and volunteers, each of whom have won one medal each day since the start of the pandemic and the brave fighters who are fighting for their lives in the ICUs of the country. And to those who died of oxygen shortages and the families who lost their loved ones who were not even given a chance to perform their last rites themselves. 

I lost a brother because of lack of awareness. He was afraid. His family feared social stigma and discrimination if he tested positive and what if they didn’t have enough to pay for the treatment. So he was rushed to the hospital at the last hour and he could not be saved. 

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I don't blame the government or the authorities concerned. They worked hard and tried their best but the awareness came too late. Today, I watch their family silently grieving each day. 

So, dear chief minister, if you really want to award Mirabai Chanu Rs 1 crore for her achievement, do it. But please award Rs 1 crore each to those families who lost a member of their family during this pandemic.

- By Protectors of Constitution

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First published:

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covid-19 in manipurdeath tollmanipur covid-19imphalcovid deathmirabai chanuletter to Chief minister

IFP Bureau

IFP Bureau

IMPHAL, Manipur

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