Letters to the Editor

Derelict pds

In "Subsidise the subsidies" ( TSI, Mar 11), Prasoon Majumdar has made an apt analysis that the policy of subsidies which was fundamentally aimed at bridging the socio-economic divide of the society is being used as a trump card by the political class during the elections to swing electorate towards them. It is a stark reality fact that these rarely reach their target audience when only a fraction the poor get benefited due to our faulty and corrupt PDS. No doubt the Public Distribution System (PDS) in the country was meant to facilitate the supply of fertilizers and seeds to the farmers, food grains and fuel items to the poor at a subsidised price but it becomes a matter of great concern when there is a massive manipulation while disbursing Rs 50,587 crores worth of fertilizers to the farming community, Rs 28,000 crores for food subsidies and Rs 1.20 lakh crores as fuel subsidies to the poor which is mostly hushed up by middlemen thus doling out Rs 1.80 lakh crores from the pocket of the Central Government. These alarming figures raise the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of the PDS, especially in the light of the growing food subsidy and food stocks. On such a scenario there is a dire need for restructuring the Public Distribution System in the country by introducing the smart cards, fertilizer and seeds credit and debit cards for the farmers, food credit/debit cards, food stamps and decentralized procurement to the poor so that hunger may be eliminated by making food available to them in a cost-effective manner. While concluding Mr Prasoon is right to comment that all in all, subsidies cannot stop, but the abuse of the same has to be stopped necessarily. This can happen only when the targeting of the subsidy is objectively done. Else in its current form, taxes from the middle class would keep filling in the coffers of agents, touts and middlemen, without bringing in any meaningful and sustainable benefit to the poor.

Dilbag Rai, Chandigarh

 

 

Teach them to fish

“Subsidise the subsidies” by Prasoon S Majumdar (TSI, Mar 11) made some excellent points on the fiascos of huge subsidies in India. They say that the correlation between poverty and obesity can be traced to agricultural policies and subsidies. There is no denying that from the perspective of efficacy and inherent ethos of colossal amount of booties that are given for the ultimate upkeep of what we call the soul of social welfare and sanctity of democratic nature of our government; we woefully fail to reach our targets. In so far as PDS, its priority and predicament are concerned, northern states of India suffer from a host of problems, inter alias, sale of inferior quality of food grains, irregular opening of the shops, rampant cases of black marketing, hoarding and most importantly wastage of food grains by pests and rodents in and out of FCI granaries which warrant immediate concern, care and control. However, the practice of allocating booties, in the wake of financial crunch for running ever increasing myriad poverty alleviation and development targeted programmes, needs to be replaced with massive and rapid investments in research activities and education to create a vast pool of human resources. Only in that way we would be able to give the needy people an intriguing know-how to how to fish to earn a permanent calling rather than giving them a fish for satisfying hunger of only a single lunch.

Shreeprakash Sharma, 

Samastipur

 

Dynastic salaries don't work

This refers to “10 Decisive changes...” by Arindam Chaudhuri (TSI, Mar 18). If the UP polls are to be believed, it seems that Rahul's time is up. It was Akhilesh Yadav's youth that the people selected. People do not like to get pity or alms, but want anddeserve real empowerment. Akhilesh gives them this respect.Rahul seems artificial, aimless; Akhilesh is more real and has a positive goal. Communal politics is defeated by the satisfactory assurance of good governance, equal rule of law to all and transparent way to development. Akhilesh overcomes with secular goal and stressing development as first preference than any other issue. The Congress and BJP are now losing their identity as national party for their misuse of federal structure, filled as they are with greedy, post-hungry leaders who like to play with treachery and internal war and lose sight of the importance to develop people and to protect their fundamental rights. Akhilesh promises that any law-breaker in his party will be punished according to law. Has Rahul or BJP or CPI(M) ever made such a move? Today’s people elect new faces who can show a big dream and inspire to achieve a real success in the way of development. They deny dynasty-based rule. They reject the creators of riot, scams, scandals, corruption, nepotism, communal and caste-based, reservation centric politics. To become leaders of people, Rahul must exercise honesty and thrive towards a balanced social structure. 

Uttam K. Bhowmik, 

Tamluk

 

A timely approach

This refers to “A Budget For Rahul Gandhi “ by Arindam Chaudhuri (TSI, Mar 11). After ‘Do Dooni Chaar’ and ‘Khao Aur Khilao’ budgets, it is a timely approach providing good suggestions to the government for using it in the right way. It is the high time to think again and again experiencing peoples support in recent Assembly Election 2012 in 5 States. In the meant time the result has come out and it was not unexpected. The result indicates some alarming notes in Indian Politics which will be undoubtedly proved as unhealthy for the ruling party in centre in the long run. I think that the proposals of Mr. Chaudhuri in this article and in his previous articles published in the TSI in his editorial column are to be considered in this context with a view to look overall situation of this country particularly. I agree with Mr. Chaudhuri in his contention and what he suggested in this article as he did as usual in every year. His suggestions for this year’s Alternative Budgets are : Transform the judiciary, Focus on education and health care, Focus on employment generation schemes and slum removal schemes to give people dignified existence, Key resource mobilisers , Legalize black money, Eliminate exemptions, Abolish most subsidies etc. All this have been elaborately described in “The Great Indian Dream” written by Mr. Chaudhuri and his father. To make a clear way from ‘Indira to Rahul’, so far the trends of present political scenario of Delhi is concerned, the present Finance Minister should react aptly considering the need of the hour without giving any opportunity to repeat the history of the past. We are hopeful about it.

Manas Mukhopadhyay, 

Hooghly, West Bengal.

 

Fresh hope

Refer to “Mayawati’s statues will not be removed” (TSI March 18, 2012). The youngest Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav is well educated and a practical and down to earth man. We hope power shall not go to his head. With corruption all around, he will have a tough time in bringing to life a corruption free UP. He will have to take politicians with clean back ground in his team and deal strictly with goonda raj. Swami Vivekananda had once observed: “Nothing can be achieved without some kind of sacrifice. It is usually the young who have the strength of mind and will to be able to make sacrifices to achieve their goals.” Hope he shall be successful in clean politics and his motto of serving the people!

Mahesh Kumar

New Delhi

 

Wake-up call for IRDA