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The finance minister has granted 8.65 per cent interest of EPF this year, benefiting more than 4 crore people. However, it is sad that there’s no one to come to the rescue of senior citizens, who constitute 15 per cent of the population. There are no concessions on their savings, or social security systems; in fact the interest rate on senior citizens’ savings scheme was reduced to 8.4 per cent, and on PPF to 7.9 per cent. Is this fair?
Satish Murdeshwar
Pune
Slow process
This refers to ‘Last mile issues in digitisation drive’ by Charan Singh and S Ananth (April 18). Digitisation can’t be done overnight. The Government should chalk up a strategy for this across school and college, including relevant material. The charges for POS, swiping machines and various other things should be reduced. The telecom department should coordinate with banks and provide infrastructure in rural and suburban areas. Other Indian languages should be included.
Vedula Krishna
Hyderabad
Profits and social costs
The editorial ‘Smoke and mirrors’ (April 18) rightly questions the plea for withdrawing PSU investment in ITC.A good portion of the profits earned by PSUs could be diverted for creation of social welfare institutions to absorb the social costs. Secondly, the Government could persuade the company to go beyond the statutory spending on corporate social responsibility activities. Some funds could be used for R&D to develop products with reduced harm to the health of the addicts.
YG Chouksey
Pune
Ethical investing could at best be a morality check of the Government’s proclivity for greater returns on public funds. But have they not acquired it through super taxes on tobacco and alcohol in particular? This in the guise of making both prohibitively costly for use only to then encourage toxic beedis and fatal hooch. Addiction is a great human frailty as agro-rich Punjab has shown. The alcohol and drug menace there has spread to Delhi, Haryana and UP. Sadly, school and college going teenagers are getting sucked in.
R Narayanan
Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh
End this us-and-them game
The BJP rakes up contentious issues like triple talaq on purpose — to keep the communal cauldron boiling. While we are appreciative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resolve “to save Muslim sisters from injustice”, we want him to match it with his resolve to save Muslim brothers from attacks by right-wing Hindutva zealots. Practising the religion of one’s choice is a fundamental right. The practice of triple talaq is a part of Shariyat law. Both these facts combine to rule out the state’s interference in the personal law of Muslims.
AIMPLB’s code of conduct and its threat of social boycott in case of failure to follow it are welcome steps. Islam cannot be singled out as a religion biased against women. Islam does not glorify ‘instant divorce’ or make light of the pain of divorce as made out to be. It is significant that in India the divorce rate among Muslims is less than it is among other religious communities.
Gender discrimination and gender inequality are embedded in all religions. The more calamitous issue of caste discrimination is not considered worthy of being addressed. Reform has to happen organically from within a religious community.
G David Milton
Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu
Ridiculous promise
This refers to ‘KCR gets the quota bill through’ by M Somasekhar (April 18). The Muslim population in Telangana comprises 12 per cent of the State. So it is ridiculous to announce 12 per cent reservation for Muslims. This is a shameless display of vote-bank politics. KCR is only trying to pump up his popularity ratings.
K Ashok Kumar
Kolkata
Erratum
Sandeep Dhar has joined Capgemini as COO for Business Services. He is neither Group COO nor India COO, as the headline in the report, ‘Former TESCO top gun joins Capgemini as COO’ (April 18) suggests. The error is regretted.
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