Diarygate

CBI director Ranjit Sinha has brought the premier investigating agency under a cloud. Now that the Visitors’ Diary at the CBI chief’s official residence has irrefutably proved that Sinha’s meetings with senior corporate executives did take place, he must disclose what transpired. The question is not whether he has shown any favour to anyone or not, it is whether he has let the accused in the 2G scam case try and influence him in the first place. The purported 90 meetings in a span of 15 months cannot be wished away as part of an independent investigation.

The CBI chief has given room for doubt about his handling of the Supreme Court-monitored case. The topmost investigative officer’s cosy relationship with officials who held talks with him behind closed doors on behalf of the accused will send the message that the course of justice, even in an apex court-monitored case, can be changed by the wealthy. This ‘Diarygate’ has strengthened the case for the incumbent CBI director’s recusal from the 2G scam case and pre-emption of diluting the charges against the highly influential accused.

G David Milton

Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

Activist-advocate Prashant Bhushan’s revelation that there were frequent meetings between Ranjit Sinha and top corporate honchos and businessmen accused in 2G and coal scam cases has come as a bolt from the blue. What makes the whole issue disturbing is that the meetings this year coincided with Sinha's alleged attempt to file an affidavit seeking to water down the charges against a corporate in connection with the 2G scam.

Though the CBI rubbished the claim as baseless and denied any illegal conduct by its director, the Supreme Court’s decision to examine the “diary” and its contents could spells trouble. As the Modi government has put a high premium on probity in public life, nothing less than a clean chit given by the Supreme Court can absolve Sinha of wrong-doing.

NJ Ravi Chander

Bangalore

We need to brush up

This is with reference to your editorial, “A yen for Japan” (September 4). Short of land, Japan had been the most adventurous of nations setting shop in foreign shores. Japan’s net outward flows hit a high of $135 billion last year and opens an opportunity for India to attract some of it. But to do so we must enhance our attractiveness as a destination for FDI. If our business environment does not improve, Japanese and other investors will shift elsewhere.

Indian governments without exception have been fighting shy of labour reforms and in 100 days Modi can only lay out a vision, not a red carpet. Our retrospective tax grenade, stated to be defused, still scares investment. The nation is not as prepared for open-ended installation of foreign-based production giants as the Prime Minister’s enthusiasm about this. The current visit has managed to send that limited message not only to Japan but other trade ready nations as well. When China comes visiting next we will have an entirely different menu; it is our ability to put business and trade on the front burner that will matter for our growth and increased employment.

R Narayanan

Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh

The editorial rightly observes Japanese companies in India will create more job opportunities. Moreover, Japan’s superior technology and India’s less expensive human talent pool offer positive scope for reaping the advantages from mutual trade and commerce.

Where Japan can help India is in transferring its work culture — zero inventory (just-in-time), zero defect (total quality), continuous innovation (quality circles) and employer-employee bonding — to its Indian operations. So far, this has not happened. On the other hand, the existing plants have joined the prevailing culture of confrontation with their human resource. The new regime in India should strive for reversal of this trend. The Prime Minister has succeeded in winning the hearts of Japanese industrialists, but being tough negotiators, they will open their purses only if they are convinced that the red tape has turned into a red carpet.

YG Chouksey

Pune

Delivery blues

This refers to the important and timely article “Where are the job givers?” by R Srinivasan (September 4) who makes a very valid point about the “employability” of the millions of “qualified” Indian youth of India in search of appropriate jobs. Our Prime Minister also has made references to this during his election campaign. Employability is just one important aspect of the entire question. More importantly, it is the deliverability of the employee. What is the true benefit an average employee, in particular, in the public sector in India, deliver to the society? Take the example of agricultural research institutions.What is the true benefit accrued to society over the last 50 years? We produced mountains of food, but at what cost to the environment?

Let us make a balance-sheet of inputs in terms of human resource, infrastructure, capital and output. The picture is dismal. My personal experience in Germany and Belgium is that as a C 4 grade professor at the top rung, I had to distil my own purified water for critical experiments, carry it myself, and conduct the experiments with just partial help from a technician or some doctoral students. In India, you will find an army of persons handling the job at various layers. What is each delivering to the society? That is the most crucial question.

KP Prabhakaran Nair

Email

Pathetic state

I am glad you picked up the issue of public urination (“An ‘infurinating’ business” by Sandhya Rao, September 4). Delhi has 3,200 public urinals for a population of 17 million, and only 130 are meant for women. I wonder when “ acche din ” will come for those who are compelled to empty their bladders in public.

Sudhirendar Sharma

Email

Dulling the shine

Our Constitution emphasises the dignity of office by adding “of India” to the titles of three functionaries: the President of India, the Chief Justice of India and the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. By agreeing to be appointed governor of Kerala, the former CJI P Sathasivam has allowed the shine on that office to dim a little. As head of the Judiciary, he had the power to administer the oath of office to the President of India, i.e., the constitutional head of another arm of the state. Now as governor he takes the oath from the chief justice of a High Court. On becoming governor he will hold office “during the pleasure of the President” and cannot keep himself away from the political thicket.

Contrast this with a former President or Prime Minister. Neither is barred from becoming a governor but for reasons of public dignity it is hard to imagine either of them willing to be appointed as such. A former head of the Indian judiciary has more reasons to say no to this appointment.

R Veera Raghavan

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Known ‘devil’

There are very few airlines in the world that have consistently made money. The industry is such that no self-respecting lender will lend to it as most airlines are in default according to probability calculations once they acquire their first aircraft and booking website. One cannot understand the necessity for public sector entities that are custodians of our national and personal holdings to lend to an industry which is known to be in default. I do believe an investigation into this “wilful” lending practice will reveal a lot more than just Kingfisher Airlines and Vijay Mallya.

DN Prahlad

Email

Skills for specialists

In India today, specialists such as scientists, researchers and technical professionals do not have adequate opportunities for developing and updating their management skills. In the current dynamic and challenging times of information explosion, market-focussed, HR-aligned, and relationship-oriented environment management skills are vital for scientists and technical personnel. Otherwise they will get isolated from the mainstream. Hence, there is an urgent need to help these experts develop their managerial skills including communication capabilities, interpersonal skills, presentation skills, analytical capabilities, leadership qualities and marketing skills.

HK Lakshman Rao

Chennai

The Ganga project

The Supreme Court is quite right in its observation on Ganga river cleaning. We have seen how previous governments drained thousands of crores of public money achieving nothing worthwhile. Of course, some contractors got richer! Now, the Narendra Modi government should take the Supreme Court’s observations seriously and should do the needful. The Government will earn the goodwill of the nation if this sacred river becomes clean and people are taught how to keep it clean.

VS Ganeshan

Bangalore

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