TMC LEADERS ‘CORRUPT’; IF SOURAV JOINS POLITICS HE MAY JOIN BJP: BAISHALI DALMIYA
Recently an incident has come to light raising concerns about the safety and privacy of students as well as their personal data due to the proctoring practice being employed by many colleges for examinations. Students of Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) have alleged harassment by a proctor, hired by the institute to invigilate examinations online. The proctor started cyberstalking some of the students and contacted them on Whatsapp. According to the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), proctoring technology uses Artificial Intelligence-powered algorithms to keep a check on candidates during online examinations. It uses facial recognition, surveys, and records surrounding audio of the students’ room and monitors changes in their line of sight by capturing photographs at 15-20 second intervals to catch unfair practices during examinations. It also monitors a student›s screen. Such instances have increased in this Covid era as cybercrime has become a major challenge.
Shubham Singh, Ethical Hacker, and Cybercrime Investigator, told The Sunday Guardian: “Instead district, POK.
All government offices in Thorar town, Poonch district, have been sealed, with protesters taking control of the local police station. Unconfirmed reports stated that at least one protester
of focusing on pros and cons, the conversation we should be having today is about leveraging online education to make our education systems more conducive to learning.”
The cybercrime investigator also said that cyber-stalkers can use software and hardware devices (sometimes attached to the back of your PC without you even knowing it) to monitor their victims. “If you encounter someone who is engaging in cyberstalking behaviour and it seems serious, or you begin to receive threats, you should report it to the police. Keep in mind many police departments have cybercrime units, and cyberstalking is a crime,” he said. “Let kids know they have a right to privacy and there are laws in place to protect it. Discuss the reasons for age restrictions, and explain the risks in an ageappropriate way. Ask them what they are worried about when it comes to their privacy. Identify areas where they need more knowledge or support. Cyber safety programs in schools can help start a dialogue about privacy in the classroom, the playground, and at home. It’s a good idea to block risky sites at school, but that won’t stop students from trying to access them. Talk about has died in the police action after which a police check post near Azad Pattan bridge was set on fire.
As per last reports, protesters were camping at Pachiot village near Goi Nala. why the sites are being blocked, and educate the students on better ways to use the internet. The more knowledge they have, the less vulnerable to risk they will be. Most kids are aware of the concept of a ‘digital footprint’. Remind them that they may feel comfortable sharing something now, but this could change in the future,” Singh added.
Children across the globe are forced to take classes online and use online platforms to entertain themselves. This has also increased their risk of exposure to inappropriate content and falling prey to cybercriminals as they get easily lured by online games and interactive media.
Pankit Desai, Co-founder and CEO, Sequretek, told The Sunday Guardian: “There needs to be a healthy balance on / offline curriculum for an effective learning experience for kids. Educational institutes need to figure out a way to make both of them happen and that too with adequate safety measures. There is a risk in both, and they need to be adequately weighed. The sheer amount of time being spent online, and not for gaming/entertainment but education purposes, and that too unsupervised by parents.”
ing houses to the poor people under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, despite so many people from my constituency not having houses. This is when I asked myself: what am I doing here?
Q: So, you say that for the last 10 years not much work has been done by the West Bengal government and that people have been kept deprived of their basic needs.
A: Initially, when the TMC government came to power in 2011, they had started off with some good work like building roads and installing lights, but then for the last 10 years, only this has happened in Bengal. These are all cosmetic and superficial; real development for the people of Bengal did not happen.
There is a problem with the grassroots workers of the Tmc—the block level leaders, the district leaders as well as the councillors, all are corrupt people. Even for a road which is being sanctioned and constructed within the Howrah Municipal Corporation, the contractors have to shell out a big chunk of money as “cut money” to these local leaders and this leads to compromises with the quality of the road since the contractor is left with little money to construct roads.
Q: You also termed some of the TMC leaders as “termites”. Who are the termites you are referring to?
A: Yes, I have termed these block level leaders, district level leaders, and the councillors of the TMC as termites. These termites do not even let good people in the party work. They are harassing me, they are not allowing me to work. If I had taken part in their corruption and minted money, they would have liked me, but I am not here to cheat people. I have come from a different background, to help people and do something good for the people and not cheat them. That is the reason they do not like me.
I would also like to say that because of these termites many good people like Suvendu Adhikari
had to leave the party. These termites stay in the party and are like silent killers who do not let the good people in the party work. If before an election, a bunch of MLAS and MPS run away, then that is not a good sign for the party. People who want to work are being forced to leave. It is not possible to survive with these people. These termites have to be removed or good people will not be able to serve in this party.
Q: Many of the TMC leaders who have voiced their unhappiness about the TMC have accused Prashant Kishor and his I-PAC of meddling with the party’s internal affairs. Do you agree with their assessment? A: That is absolutely true. I-PAC and Prashant Kishor is another irritating factor. I must tell you that they are the most incompetent people I have come across. I have come from a corporate background, but I have never seen someone so incompetent like Prashant Kishor and his team. Initially, when they came, they came with a lot of ideas and I thought that they would have a corporate outlook and professional approach where they would guide the party towards helping and benefiting the people. But it seems they are just not interested about the common people and eradicating the termites from the party. They are only interested in creating programme after programme which holds no relevance. I work with the common people and I have seen distrust in the eyes of the common people.
Prashant Kishor is creating programmes like “Didi K Bolo”, so the common man can tell Didi directly about their problems, but what they get is registering their complaints in a call centre, then how is this “Didi K Bolo”? Moreover, once the common man has told their problems to Didi, where is the solution? They need solutions, just saying does not help. All the programmes that have been worked out by Kishor and his team are halfcooked and will not be successful. Q: For the last few months, you have not been seen much in TMC’S programmes. Does this mean that Baishali Dalmiya is going to quit the party and join the BJP?
A; No, it is not that, I have been called for functions and programmes. But I want to say that I am being troubled by these termites, however the senior leadership of the party is still cordial with me.
As far as changing or quitting the party is concerned, I have not yet decided. I don’t think this is the right time to give a definite answer to this question. I have a lot of patience and I try my level best till the end, be it professional relationship or personal. My motive in politics is to help the common people. I want to be the voice for the voiceless. So, these are some of the agendas which are there on my list and I just want to do that.
Q: How would you describe your relationship with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee?
A: My relationship with the Hon’ble Chief Minister is good and cordial. The day I met her at the Woodland’s hospital when Sourav Ganguly was admitted, she was as good as ever. We share a good relationship—maybe even before I joined politics. As far as I am concerned, she was nice to me.
Q: You and Sourav Ganguly share a family friendship that goes back many years. There is a lot of talk about him joining politics. Is there any chance of him joining politics and would you like to see him in politics; if yes, which party should he join?
A: I am a well-wisher of Sourav Ganguly and I always want good for him. Whether he should join politics or not, it should be his own call. If he wants to be in politics or not that he has to decide and nobody can push him or stop him from doing what he thinks he wants to do.
I have seen some political leaders like Ashok Bhattacharya (CPM leader, who is considered as a very close family friend of Sourav Ganguly); he is trying to put words into his mouth, that Sourav Ganguly is not interested in politics and that he is not the right person for politics. I am not that kind of a friend who pretends to be a “friend”, but is actually an enemy. I think Bhattacharya is dead scared of Sourav Ganguly coming into politics, since, if Sourav Ganguly decides to join politics, he will join the BJP and not CPM. On the contrary, if one fine morning, Sourav Ganguly decides to join CPM instead of BJP, I think Ashok Bhattacharya would be the first person to say yes, he is the right person for politics. I am not that sort of a friend like Ashok Bhattacharya, I am not here to benefit out of Sourav Ganguly’s joining politics or not. I am a good friend of his and I always want good for him. Having said this, I would like to say that Sourav Ganguly is a very good leader and he has shown it to the world, he has demonstrated good leadership qualities in the past and even as BCCI president, he is there all the time. When he was in hospital after his surgery, he even attended the BCCI meeting from the hospital. So, this is what Sourav Ganguly is and he knows about commitment and if he commits, then the commitment should come from him and not from us.
Sourav Gnguly is intelligent; he knows the world; he knows what is best for people; he is the best decision-maker and let him decide for himself and I do not want to say anything. It is his decision and he should take the call.