Cautionary tale

The editorial, ‘Slippery oil’ (December 23), was a timely note of caution to policymakers. The oil glut market metrics will not work in scarcity and will surely boomerang on complacency. Whenever oil import bills soar and the global supplies crunch giving a beating to forex reserves, the Centre asks for the paring of expenditure, curtailing of transport services to its employees and that of PSUs, campaigns to reduce consumption, closing of oil supply stations at night and demanding that State governments taper down sales tax rates to moderate prices. Once conditions improve, all these efforts for economisation of oil consumption will cease.

Indian oil companies are yet to streamline their supplies and extend explorations in newer areas. The search for shale gas should be accelerated. The pending proposal for pipeline connectivity with oil-rich countries through Pakistan is mired in controversy; its early implementation will supplement domestic oil demands. Though the oil supply scenario is cumbersome and daunting, India has ample opportunities to augment its supply on different platforms along with being frugal in usage.

B Rajasekaran

Bengaluru

Disastrously unprepared

This refers to the article ‘Casting the growth net wider’ by Chinnu Senthilkumar (December 23). The recent floods in Chennai had a devastating effect on internet broadband connectivity. It was surprising to find that our ISPs were unprepared to handle natural disasters. There was no disaster recovery planning by the telecom companies. The rains exposed their shortcomings with terrible losses for businesses depending on this key infrastructure. Telecom companies should invest in disaster recovery and make sure they play a key role during disasters.

CR Arun

Email

Wild accusations

This refers to the report, ‘Court notice to Kejriwal, others’ (December 23). Need anybody stress that politicos ought to be circumspect, watchful and choose their words carefully? Freedom of speech is enshrined in the Constitution but that does not mean people are issued with the licence to make malicious, unsubstantiated charges. Fortunately, there is a provision to file a libel suit. The BJP leader Himanta Biswas Sarma filed a civil defamation suit of ₹100 crore against the Assam chief minister for wrongly linking him to scams. People are fed up with the accusations and counter-accusations.

HP Murali

Bengaluru

Institutions as change agents

This refers to Vinson Kurian’s report ‘Set up climate change management fund with Nabard at the helm’ (December 23). Despite resistance from several quarters, India has clearly announced the country’s intention to move fast on the development path and it is comforting to find that institutions are playing a proactive role in this.

The changeover of Planning Commission to NITI Aayog, RBI’s intention to introduce several new institutions in the financial sector and financial products to bring idle gold into the mainstream and encouraging banks to go aggressive on financial inclusion, GOI’s willingness to have meaningful dialogue with the Opposition outside the house when the latter obstruct proceedings in Parliament, and the Centre’s use of electronic and print media to elicit and share views of citizens on development issues are all signs of a maturing democracy.

The demand for Nabard being at the helm of the ‘climate change management fund’ needs to be seen in this context.

Trade unions are also re-inventing their roles. It is comforting to see that many employees’ organisations are becoming proactive and making suggestions for making the institutions they represent more effective in performing their mandated roles.

MG Warrier

Mumbai

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Send your letters by email to bleditor@thehindu.co.in or by post to ‘Letters to the Editor’, The Hindu Business Line, Kasturi Buildings, 859-860, Anna Salai, Chennai 600002.

Erratum

The report and, as a result the headline of the article titled ‘Argentina’s duty-free exports of soya oil fuel worries among Indian extractors’ (December 22) wrongly assumed that Argentina's soya oil exports are now duty free. The duty on exports has only been slashed. The errors are regretted.

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