The Hindu Business Line : Mere intentions

This refers to your editorial “Just intentions” (Business Line, November 20).The Prime Minister, instead of listing out the real achievements of his government in the just concluded AICC session, limited himself to spelling out the intentions, even after half the term of his regime has been crossed.

The farming community is still betrayed. Neither the NDA nor the UPA could do anything substantial to save the ailing community. Instead, the session got to hear figures relating to fertiliser and oil subsidies, which bring no gain to farmers.

There was no announcement on more investments in the agriculture sector; it is clear investments are avoiding the farm sector for lack of proper government support and infrastructure.

Also missing were policy intentions to contain the burden of increasing capital inflows while tackling the reduction in social commitments. The management of huge resources built through foreign inflows requires enough political backing and the session skirted this issue, which may acquire gigantic proportions sooner than later.

The position of the rupee against the dollar and other currencies also was skimmed over at the session, which seemed to be just a nice get-together over a day with the rather pointless exercise of comparing Gujarat with Nandigram and to project Rahul as a youth leader. There is no wonder the session could not find time to discuss the farmers’ issue and other serious economic problems facing the common man.

C. P. Velayudhan Nair Kochi