Cash-strapped SpiceJet blotted its copybook after 150 flights out of the 243 scheduled services were cancelled on Wednesday leaving thousands of fliers stranded across the country. The private carrier has been going through rough weather in recent times with daily revenues plummeting from ₹14 crore a day to merely ₹50 lakh after restrictions on accepting bookings beyond 30 days in advance were imposed on the airline.

With oil companies following a cash-and-carry model for fuel supply to the airline and refusing to refuel amid a continuing stand-off over outstanding dues there is more turbulence in store for SpiceJet. The banks which have over ₹600 crore exposure to the airline have also indicated their inability to further fund the carrier which faces a rough ride!

NJ Ravi Chander

Bengaluru

The percolation factor

This is with reference to ‘Manufacturing & services key to output, yield in agriculture’ by Prashant J Kumar (December 18). Agricultural output has increased steadily even after the green revolution but failed to attain the impetus generated in the sixties and seventies. India witnessed reforms in the 1990s in the industrial and services sector; China started reforms in the 1970s in the agriculture sector. Growth in manufacturing and services will percolate to the agricultural sector and help in reduction of wastage, creation of storage and processing of food during a glut.

Rohit Upendra Arya

Durg, Chhattisgarh

Check the credentials

Your observations on two-step authentication is timely (‘Small change’, December 18). However, one cannot agree with your view that two-step authentication is unnecessary. Regardless of size of transaction, authentication is a must. While we all use two-step authentication to access e-mails, something as critical as bills need to be addressed with greater seriousness. Today’s card methods demand that I present my credentials to a merchant. Hence, there is a possibility of fraud as the merchant can collect and potentially save and fraudulently use the information.

If we create a system by which a merchant presents his/her credentials to a customer mobile which in turn communicates to his/her bank, fraud will be significantly reduced. Of course, credit card companies with huge infrastructure investment in existing systems will be opposed to the emerging new technologies. Hence, the solution is not in applying discretion by removing two-step authentication for specific transactions but in changing the credential presentation mechanism to prevent fraud.

DN Prahlad

Bengaluru

Lax banks

The news that the RBI has fined ICICI and Bank of Baroda to the tune of ₹75 lakh is not a surprise because banks have been regularly violating KYC norms. Irregularities in KYC compliance are commonplace and the disregard for KYC rules reflects laxity on the part of the apex bank. The imposition of fines by the RBI has not proved effective. Banks pay fines without difficulty and wash their hands of the matter, and shield officials responsible for non-compliance of the RBI prescriptions. Accountability should be fixed on the top brass of such banks to stop violations of RBI rules and regulations.

KV Seetharam

Mangaluru

Better days here?

Achhe din appear to be nearing according to the report ‘Survey shows government’s focus on transparency paying off’ (December 18). For the first time in 18 years India fared better than China in the corruption perception Index. India moved up by 10 places to 85 in Transparency International’s 2014 rankings.

From day one the government has been talking about eliminating corruption and the efforts appear to be bearing fruit. Also the pending Anti-corruption Bill, Whistle-blowers’ Protection Bill and others will help improve the situation further.

Corporate India is also taking steps to improve the moral standards of employees. A strong majority of the people have said they will assist in the removal of corruption.

TR Anandan

Coimbatore

Enough is enough

G Parthasarathy has presented a lucid, incisive analysis in ‘Terror — a creation of Pak politicians’ (December 18). Enough is enough. It is time the Pakistani administration woke up from its deep slumber to crack down on ultras of all denominations.

HP Murali

Bengaluru

It’s personal

Religion is a very personal affair. No State, person or anyone else has any right to intervene in this. No religion teaches people to follow for monetary reasons. Those engaged in conversions do so for numbers and political reasons.

Many people change their religion for personal reasons, for marriage for instance. Others, to take advantage of government benefits. Therefore the best course is to abolish all such benefits to special classes of people. Provide infrastructure to help poor people come up in life. The State must go for a Uniform Civil Code.

Mahesh Kumar

New Delhi

Play fair

This is with reference to the advice of the government to State-run banks to support Spicejet to mop up ₹600 crore to tide over its financial crunch. It is an acknowledgement that PSBs are the only institutions that can support collapsing businesses. But PSBs are still haunted by the Kingfisher Airline experience. There are some things to learn here. First, the system needs PSBs to finance any corporate that struggles and take over any sick bank for the sake of the citizens. Second, the government should set an example by offering its guarantee on the proposed recommendation of ₹600 crore. When a default in repayment of an autorickshaw loan is considered wilful and the vehicle is seized for auction, the same treatment should be valid for a defaulting airline.

The present financial crunch is the making of the airline itself. It has to bear the loss — it cannot be absorbed by public money.

S Veeraraghavan

Madurai

Victory for tribal people

It is heartening that the “long-standing” Nilpu smaram by the Adivasis of Kerala at last bore fruit and ended on a happy note. I happened to watch the protest almost on a daily basis with some tribal people standing with either umbrellas or clothes to protect themselves from the post-noon sun and some others singing their traditional songs to the accompaniment of traditional drums in front of the government secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram.

By talking to CK Janu I learnt more about the plight of the tribal people in Kerala. The problems they face such as child malnutrition, lack of healthcare and dispossession of forest land call for concerted efforts to save them.

The decisions to notify 7,693 hectares of vested forests for distribution to the tribes-people, bring panchayats with 100 per cent tribal population under the provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act for protection of tribal land from alienation, give one acre and ₹2.5 lakh for construction of houses to the tribal families evicted from Muthenga and discontinue pineapple cultivation in the Aralam farm for prevention of intrusion by elephants and use of pesticides harmful to the local tribal residents, and withdraw cases framed against tribal agitators during earlier struggles were a recognition of the rights of the indigenous people and would do some good to the tribes-people. Medha Patkar deserves a special mention for mediating a settlement with the State government.

G David Milton

Thiruvananthapuram

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