Respect the anthem

When the national anthem was played during a cricket match recently, I wondered: “Do we respect the anthem?” The answer is no. We are so enthusiastic about the match we forget we should respect it at least by standing up. My request to youngsters is: support the Indian team but respect our national anthem. It’s cool.

Ananth V

Chennai

Boost other sectors

While the liberalisation process has many plus points, it has not been successful in certain areas. One such grey area is the exim policy. The Centre is obsessed with IT and software. But sectors like agriculture and traditional textiles also need to be given a fillip because they would not only generate foreign exchange but also fetch good prices for farmers and improve the prospects of textile workers. The government should boost FDI and improve its forex position.

Lakshmi Narasimhan B

Coimbatore

Mind the eggs

This is with reference to the editorial “Licensing for competition” (April 3). I disagree with the suggestion to create banks that accept deposits and put them in government securities, and not lend. This is putting all the eggs in one basket. If there is any disturbance in the government’s liquidity on securities due to policy flip-flops depositors will be in the doldrums.

NR Nagarajan

Sivakasi

Jobs matter

This refers to “The ten crore question” by R Srinivasan (April 3) . Skill development programmes matter essentially when existing jobs go a-begging for want of candidates with matching competences. However, the UPA government’s major failure has been creation of fewer jobs despite a robust economic growth rate till recently. This is because industries which provide a high share of job opportunities have been subject to a host of constraints.

The problem of unemployment has also got aggravated because, in spite of shrinkage in its contribution to GDP, agriculture constitutes more than half the workforce at much lower wages while the growing service sector has not added a proportionate number of jobs.

YG Chouksey

Pune

Big picture

This is with reference to the letter of M Kumar, “Whom to vote for?” (April 3). I feel we have to see the larger picture — the party a particular candidate represents and whether we like the party, its ideologies and track record, and are confident it can deliver on its promises.

Ananta Padmanabhan A

Conakry, Republic of Guinea

Being human

There is widespread racism and discrimination in India: regarding skin colour, languages, sex, religion, caste, cultures, philosophies, ideologies. That’s why many Indians prefer to study and live abroad.We must learn from Western countries to be humanitarian.

Sreeramkrishna Dixit

e-mail

Be prepared

A big earthquake hit Chile but the damage was contained. Can India do the same? India is divided into five earthquake zones; Mumbai is in zone III. Are buildings in Mumbai earthquake-proof? Do builders provide information on this? No. Even the real estate Bill passed recently by the Maharashtra government has not made it mandatory to provide information with regard to earthquake resistance. It is time to wake up.

Deendayal M Lulla

Mumbai

Amend the rules

In connection with “Coalition govt: Spokes without a hub” by G Ramesh (April 3) the present scenario clearly shows that we as a nation have no choice but to live with it. Regional parties have made deep inroads and want their pound of flesh for their support. The rules must be amended to ensure that coalition ex ante election is for a period of five years or till the government lasts. Members who do not get the people’s mandate should not be allowed into the Rajya SabhaIt is high time there is a retirement age for MPs.

AE Charles

Coimbatore

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