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A depressed industry

It is with reference with the excellent editorial (TSI, December 28-January 10). About 70 per cent of the people of India are engaged directly or indirectly in agricultural activities. But agriculture in our motherland continues to remain a depressed industry with low per capita production. Most of the villages do not have electricity nor clean drinking water. Loan waivers by the government do not help them become self-sufficient nor does it contribute to the economic growth of the country. Instead of helping them, the government can provide small loans without any collateral. Fertiliser prices should really be brought down and variety of seeds should be distributed. Use of rain water harvesting needs to be promoted in certain areas. The farmers need to be equipped with modern farming tools and fertilisers which will improve productivity. Agricultural scientists should develop new technologies which are environment friendly. It is high time that government stop exploiting the farmers and take some concrete steps to improve the lives of the farming community.

Amrita Das

Guwahati Discovering real India

India is destined to be a dynasty-led country but it is sad that the younger scions are talking about their parents and achievements of their grandparents. Rahul Gandhi has not achieved anything, yet we are making him a 'superhero'. A family name is a tough legacy to inherit and even tougher to maintain. His knowledge of India is not deep enough. He needs to understand the heartbeat of India. It's just about votes and that is the weakest point in a democracy like India. Kalawati could have been avoided. We need a mature person and not a hell-raiser. Grow up Rahul! Middle-class people struggle hard to maintain a lifestyle. The poor just multiply and expect pity. They want everything for free. That's where the harsh truth lies and Mr Rahul has to realise that 'tamasha politics' is not the real thing.

Sunil Melwani

Pune A ban game

Pasoon Majumdar’s column on Chinese cell phones is very correct and he is right to state that they are not just damaging the industry as they flourish in grey market, but also posing a serious threat to our country. It would be best to ask operators to disconnect services to handset that does not have an IMEI number. And this step is very much needed. Who knows if Chinese cellphones have embedded elements enabling it to launch a cyber attack or shut down the equipment. We ought to be careful. Moreover, the importance of the IMEI number from the security point of view cannot be overlooked as investigators investigating the various terrorist attacks in our country have reported that some of the terrorists were using Chinese mobile phones. Taking serious note of the situation, pertaining to the circulation of mobile phones without IMEI number and its potential threat for the national security in view of Mumbai terror attacks, they should be completely banned.

Sanjay Jain

Patna