Plain atrocious

This refers to the report, ‘RBI has no defaulters’ list!’ by Rahul Wadke (April 14). The insinuations are wild and atrocious. The RBI is not expected to keep a defaulters’ list. Not just the RBI, it is impossible for the CAG to keep track of defaulters with respect to Central and State government departments and statutory bodies audited, for SEBI to compile on an ongoing basis a list of companies that are not collecting their dues promptly or, for that matter, for any regulator or supervisor to do book-keeping for other organisations. The RTI Act doesn’t expect such compilation of data.

Banking, like equity markets, is sensitive to violation of trust and as Usha Thorat indirectly mentioned, let us not destroy an institutional system which is still working well in India.

MG Warrier

Mumbai

All those who have not repaid thousands of crores of loans will enjoy this statement very much. One day all this will be written off and banks will have no NPAs. Who pays for all this ? Who cares for poor farmers committing suicide? Who cares for small businessmen who have taken loans and are harassed day in and day out by banks. It’s poor honest taxpayers’ money, especially senior citizens with absolutely no social security and who find it extremely difficult to make ends.

RR Chandran

Mumbai

It’s ironical that the manner in which the RBI is being questioned it seems as if it had actually lent out public money to wilful defaulters whereas the fact remains that it is our errant PSBs that stood firmly behind all these big sharks. No wonder these banks now find themselves virtually trapped in a ‘vicious circle’ of their own making. .

In all fairness, such detailed information should be obtained from the Indian Banks Association, which in turn should ask them to compile and urgently submit the same to the Supreme Court. Moreover, all such cases currently ‘pending’ in different courts, DRTs and various High Courts across the country should be recalled and clubbed together by the SC in order to find a viable, one-time solution to this mind-boggling financial problem.

Kumar Gupt

Email

Ban lavish festivities too

Just like cricket (IPL), all other sports especially high water-consuming golf, also should not be allowed in drought-affected places. There should be restrictions on lavish marriages, functions and festivals which definitely consume voluminous amounts of water. Big hotels and restaurants should not be allowed to take up the work of hosting marriages and parties. The water saved this way can be diverted to drought-hit areas.

VS Ganeshan

Bengaluru

A pipe dream

With reference to the report ‘Over one crore toilets built, but Swachh Bharat still a pipedream’(April 13), educating people on the dangers of open defecation is very important. Not only should toilets be constructed, government and NGOs should work towards educating people on hygiene. Once awareness comes, people will start building toilets in rural areas. The government should utilise the services of municipal councillors, gram panchayats, educated youth and NGOs for this.

Veena Shenoy

Thane, Maharashtra

It’s about confidence

The Banks Board Bureau’s top priority is to instil confidence in the public about the profitability of the banking sector in the wake of increasing NPAs. It has to make all-out efforts to reduce NPAs by adhering to strict measures against defaulters and also see that banks continue their lending practice which has been going on at snail’s pace for fear of NPAs. So the decision of BBB to kickstart lending by PSBs without the fear of bureaucratic overhang is the right step.

Another important priority is recapitalisation of PSBs to meet Basel III norms. Consolidation of the banking sector is not as important as the other issues. The immediate task of the board is to get PSBs to a profitable mode and quickly revive stalled infrastructural projects, so that the profitability is improved.

TSN Rao

Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh

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