Letters to the Editor

Scindia's Honesty
The Special Story on “Royal quick fix?” (TSI, June17) made an interesting read. Jyotiraditya Scindia sounds honest when he says much has to be done in Madhya Pradesh which is bleeding for the need of development in different fields. His pause to the question on unity among the Congressmen in MP and his careful worded replies states the present condition of the Congress workers there. His reply that if his party was voted to power, they would formulate policies to revive the economic growth of the state is really amusing in the backdrop of  the Himalayan blunders committed by his UPA-2 Government in handling the economy of the nation. The way Indian Rupee has been forced to have a free fall due to mismanagement of the currency and the hypocrisy to accept their failure in all other key parameters taken by them. Jyotiraditya should not be day dreaming that he is going to make another 'UP history in MP as done by the young, youthful and vibrant  Akhilesh Yadav. It was totally a different situation in UP which helped Akhilesh annexe power not only easily but also to get the same handed over to him on a golden platter by his predecessor herself !
Anna Mary Yvonne
Chennai

Unsolved Mystery
This refers to “Who killed Rizwanur?” (TSI, June 17). I would like to state that in view of the present political parties, police and city affluent people's nexus, it is practically impossible to bring an offender having money & muscle power, to book. The murderers of Rizwanur are still moving freely. It is high time for them to be put behind the bars. Till then, we the peace loving citizens can only wish that culprits be punished as per the prevailing law but it is the responsibility of the Government and also judiciary to act fast.
Lt Col Ranjit Sinha (Retd)
Kolkata

Eye Opener
It refers to Musings “Tuning the tutor” (TSI, June 17). Teachers in government schools are responsible to whole number of students who come from different socio-economic background. Comparing them with private tutors and coaching centres who believe in easy money making and personal fame is not easy.  There is a vast difference between the two. The government tutors face many difficulties because of students’ inability, proper infrastructure, huge strength of students, over-burdening school syllabus and government prescribed textbooks that are filled with mostly backdated information. Governments should implement policies taking into their concern the teachers condition at the grass root level. Narrow politics in school and education system should be stopped. Government should have a uniform education system. In remote areas tuition culture has not flourished enough and teachers are remarkably helpful.
Uttam K Bhowmik,
Tamluk

Indian Health Service
Kudos to Aamir Khan for exposing the level of corruption and greed prevailing in the medical field in India through his show on television "Satyameva Jayate” and to Arindam Chaudhuri for supporting him wholeheartedly. This refers to the editorial "Run! The merchants of death are angry!" (TSI, June 17). His crusade against the doctors is absolutely praiseworthy and specifically so in the light of our existing health system. It is a matter of great shame that when the country is passing through the worst phase in its history where corruption has become the accepted norm of the society the medical field in this respect is no different as it is on a slippery slope of moral and ethical degradation. The episode exposes the plight of our private medical colleges charging huge capitation for admission, Medical Council of India not taking any punitive action against erring doctors, medical practitioners charging kick-backs from the diagnostic services and pharmaceuticals making mega-profits selling their medication. All this was a very poor commentary on the nobility of medical profession, which has been in turmoil since the last decade. Most of the current laws related to health care in India needs to be revisited. The government also needs to come up with another cadre like IAS for health care – maybe it can be called Indian Health Services (IHS), that will take up administrative responsibilities to run our health care.
Dilbag Rai
via email

UPA's inevitable Waterloo
Pramod Kumar has scripted the woes of the country under the UPA-2 in the most appropriate manner, though he has touched only on a few bungling but lethal and fatal of the UPA misrule. It refers to the special report “Taking stock”(TSI, June10).The tragedy is that the Congress led government  has already given us an inkling that it is highly engaged in corruption and scandals. The way several scams came open, there is no doubt that ours must be the only country in the world to have allowed the food grains produced in surplus to rot, for want of jute bags. This, despite the fact that a major percentage of the masses below poverty line in our country retire to bed hungry, for want of food!  The government has proved its inefficiency precariously in almost all vital sectors like defence, fire services, agriculture and civil supplies and has miserably failed  to contain  the steep rise in the price of food grains and petroleum products and inflation has almost touched the sky. The Prime Minister should prove himself efficient enough and lead the nation to prosperity devoid of corruption and pilferage of public wealth.  Otherwise at this rate, there is no doubt that the UPA government is going to meet its Waterloo in the 2014 General Elections, without fail!
Shalini Gerald F
Chennai

Writ on the wall
With a mixed emotion of anxiety and anger, I went through the excellent article of Pramod Kumar, “Taking stock!” (TSI, June 10) wherein he has exposed the commissions and omissions of the disastrously run UPA-2 government in the past three years. While the Manmohan Singh led government has miserably failed in all the key parameters, what is unpardonable is his government’s apathy towards unabated corruption and uncontrollable inflation that have plagued the nation without any cure in sight. While the fire fighting and rescue equipment and even the defence machinery and mechanisms, most of which are said to be defective, outdated and dysfunctional drums to the world the poor policy decisions and pathetic contingency planning of the country, it is criminal  that the precious food grains produced in surplus are allowed to rot in the open, for want of jute bags and go - downs to stock them safe! The lamentation of the ever melancholic Narayanasami, MOS in the PM’s office that there is a heavy shortage of civil servants speaks volumes of the inefficiency of the government and the PM in particular. The UPA with their shoddy way of functioning is bound to hand over  power to the NDA in 2014.
Fiona Waltair
Chennai

Impartial Education
Prasoon.S. Majumdar highlighting the existing loopholes in the education system in the article “Tuning the tutor” (TSI, June 17) has rightly said that as duty-bound, honest and good teachers have become a thing of the past because coaching centres mushrooming in every town and city are not only competing with each other but driving parents to engage tutors compulsorily to ensure success in examinations of their children. This has led to commercialisation of education in a big way. In this context, working parents unable to devote special attention to their children are convinced that tuition centres are the only panacea for their children to score high marks. Further with government having no control on teaching community taking up tuition's after school hours to make quick money. Well-to-do parents take pleasure in sending their wards to tuition centres paying exorbitant fees while poor are left in the lurch. It is time for government to take a decisive action by banning coaching centres so that students are taught well in regular schools.
R.Srinivasan,
Secunderabad

Stand merited not gifted
It refers to “Muslims need affirmative action’ and “The sub quota fix” (TSI, June17) The interviews and discussions that had taken place in the backdrop of the Andhra Pradesh High Court’s verdict against the UPA Government’s proposal to give 4.5% reservation to minorities within the OBC quota are really incisive and thought provoking. As rightly opined by Wajahat Habibullah, Chairperson of NCM, while the reservation itself is not a welcome strategy, it should never be based on religion but only on occupation, if inevitable.  Unless and until the minorities realise their merit and inherent capacities that they can also compete with others in the open field, they are only going to fall prey to the evils of the quota system. They would continue to be servile and get treated as secondary citizens despite the comparable intelligence and caliber they possess.
Tharcius S.Fernando,
Chennai

Promiscuous media
This refers to to the editorial by Arindam Chaudhuri, ''Rekha and Jaya's Silsila... Indian media” (TSI, May 27). It is sad to see the erosion of journalistic ethics and values in India. Now, news is all about cathching eyeballs and raising eyebrows. Though the print media shows some restraint, in electronic media sensationalism rules over seriousness. Indian media is supremely obsessed with three C's – Cricket, Cinema and Celebrity. Moreover, the phenomenon of ''paid news'' puts a huge question mark on the credibility of the media. The media to sustain in the present market dwells constantly to make a balance between money and morality. But the chances of falling prey to profiteering is tantalisingly close. So there is exactly where the choose to benefit themselves more than the society. I still remember the cover-story that TSI had on the misdeed of a leading foreign soft-drinks giant. Media houses like TSI stand for uncompromising journalistic value, therefore they are the only hope in this corrupt society of ours.
Nirupam Hazra,
West Bengal