Letters to the Editor

Analysing the country's overall grim economic scenario, the editorial Alternate Budget by Arindam Chaudhuri (TSI, Mar 11) rightly comments that the future of the inheritor (Rahul Gandhi) and more importantly, of India, depends on fighting corruption. Yes it can be done if Mr Pranab ceases to be the FFM (Family Finance Minister as he presented the budget in 1982 for Rajiv Gandhi and now going to present it for the uplift of Rahul Gandhi) and acts as a tough FM. Expectations from the Budget are very high and he has a lot of balancing to do. The main challenge before him will be to maintain the image of India as an important emerging economy and boost the confidence of investors. Investments are slowing down because companies are raking in less profit due to a fall in sales. Moreover high inflation for almost two years has reduced the demand and investment both. The FM should announce some new measures for strengthening the food security of the country and should take more measures to make the public distribution system PDS 'leakage' proof. In general, the Finance Minister will have to do a balancing act and come up with an imaginative Budget which will please all and hurt none.

Suman Kukal.

Ambala Cantt.

Apropos 'Raiders of the hills' (TSI, Mar 04), I would like to mention that because of exploration of mines, the forest is fast diminishing, affecting the flora and fauna of the area. It also affects the rainfall of the region. Even the wild animals are being devoid of their natural habitat resulting in their forrays into the adjacent villages. For example, people of Midnapore district are disturbed with the wild elephant menace. However, since the mines generate national income hence the exploration operation has to go on but the Government should ensure that wherever the forest is removed for mine simultaneously new plantation should go on plus the Government machinery should ensure that no malpractice is encouraged and practised.

Lt Col Ranjit Sinha (Retd)

Kolkata

This refers to the article 'Life in a Tent' (TSI 4th March 2012). The plight of the displaced Kashmiri families in the suburbs of Kolkata is heart wrenching. The never ending scourge of terrorism in the Kashmir valley is a perpetual threat to such innocent people as the Centre keeps brushing aside the problem.

SatyaMurty

Kakinada

It is with reference to the brilliant editorial A Budget for Rahul Gandhi by Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri (TSI, Mar 11) in which he has commented that the future of the inheritor, and more importantly, of India, depends on fighting corruption and here is how Pranabda can use the Budget to tame the monster. In this context a common man expects the FM not to remain concerned with one person from the Nehru-Gandhi family for his coronation as the PM, but his budget should be for the welfare of of the country. It would be better for the FM to pay heed to the suggestions by Mr Arindam to transform the judiciary by allocating Rs 6,000 crores to increase the strength of the judges by 'quadruple and to draw up a blueprint that will compel litigants, lawyers and judges to commit to a time frame to settle cases, to focus on education and health care by providing at least 6% of the GDP, to focus on employment generation schemes and slum removal schemes to give people dignified existence with the allocation of Rs.120,000 crores fund for the urban unemployed. It will be a dream come true if the budget tames the monster of corruption.

Dilbag Rai.

Chandigarh.

Prasoon.S.Majumdar's objective analysis about continuing subsidies by the government when it has not been reaching the deserving poor on account of corrupt officials in connivance with functionaries of the party in power cornering all the benefits is apt and correct. It has been seen since several years that subsidies and freebies have only drained the treasury, leaving a pittance for developmental work, thereby slowing down the pace of economic growth. Further, failure to reduce gas and fuel subsidy nor increase the taxes on the upper class to compensate the growing burden of subsidy year after year due to fear of losing votes and power by successive governments is a sad fact. In this backdrop, even though food and fertiliser subsidies were considered innovative approaches and a necessity to improve agricultural productivity and living conditions of poor farmers, the PDS has come as a stumbling block due to corruption and lower quality in implementation. In fact, it led to economic slowdown resulting in starvation deaths and high inflation. In the final analysis, as subsidies and freebies are not good indicators to address socio-economic inequalities, eradicate poverty and only tend to drain the ex-chequer, encourage corruption and red-tapeism in its implementation, it is time that we change the strategy by doing away with subsidies altogether by introducing cash transfer so that the government's commitment to inclusive growth will give the much needed fillip to developmeny.

R.Srinivasan,

Secundrabad

Referring to Time to give more... (TSI, Mar 04), Arindam Chaudhuri was aright in saying that farmers are finding themselves in the top of every political parties manifesto during the election as they constitute 60 percent of our country population but they are being marginalised after the election which is not uncommon. It is quite disgraceful that in an agriculture based country, the farmers are being deprived of day-to-day necessities. It is axiomatic that farmers are no less than a weapon for political parties to overcome the electoral battle. We are said to have crossed the threshold of modern era but it is quite clear that the farmer are still stuck in an era from where they started. The editor in his lucid commentary has made very clear how we are behind China in implementing a comprehensive policy for agriculture. It's high time the government takes initiatives in order to strengthen the farmer who is said to be the back-bone of our country.

Sourav Mishra.

Balangir, Odisha

The editorial 'Time to give more than the standard.....' (TSI, Mar 04) is an eye opener and has very rightly observed '....our successive governments have succeeded in keeping a majority of them marginalised'. Mahatma Gandhi once remarked that India lives in villages. But a vital question arises here: where do villages live in India? In fact, they survive in the souls of farmers, in the blood of farmers and the sweat of farmers, the bread winners of a country with more than almost 1.2 billion people. But who is worried about the pitiable condition and virtually hand - to - mouth existence of those so called 'God of small things'? The increasing number of suicidal cases of farmers does pose a serious question before us for introspection. After all whither India? It is high time the government takes an array of urgent reformative steps to essentially revamp the agriculture scenario by making huge investments in the agriculture-based food processing industries in the rural areas for the purpose of eradication of unemployment and poverty especially during lean season of cultivation. For this what we urgently require is development of economic and social infrastructure facilities that we so woefully lack.

Shreeprakash Sharma,

Samastipur, Bihar

This refers to the editorial 'Time to give more than...' (TSI, Mar 04). It is really shameful that in spite of agriculture having significant role in socio-economic fabric of India and having great potential of production owing to vast fertile agricultural land with more than 70% of people engaged in that sector, the agriculture is still neglected. Let's have an example that although India has the credit of being one of the largest country in Asia in respect of land area, the production of rice is one third against the production of China and about half of production of Vietnam and Indonesia. So in this context bold action from policy makers are required to shift away from existing subsidy based system and a full fledged drive for technology based production.

Niloy Kumar Roy,

Kolkata