Impossible to check

Anita Kapur, chairperson of the Central Board of Direct Taxes, has said that the department will have 360 degree profiling of all taxpayers and check tax evasion. In India, it is not possible to get accurate information about income earned by people from “profits and gains of businesses or professions”.

People (even from the salaried class) have various sources of income they do not want to disclose. How can the government check the sources of income of millions of people in the country? It is impossible!

S Ramakrishnasayee

Ranipet, Tamil Nadu

Tracking economic activity

This refers to your editorial, ‘A change of track’ (June 17). Indian Railways is an important infrastructure investment which is worth a lot more in light of the enormous economic activity it spurs. Focusing on profits alone will not drive home this point. Privatisation is not the right solution because private players will not invest owing to low returns.

But we need better infrastructure and safety should improve. For this to happen, we need to delink passenger fare from political whims and fancies. An independent regulator should be responsible for fixing fares.

As pointed out, returns should be the last thing to look at when revamping Indian Railways. It is a lifeline that runs through the country creating crores of rupees of economic activity. The government would do well to do an in-depth study and submit the economic value added report to Parliament, so that the people understand what the Railways contributes to this country.

CR Arun

Email

There’s no denying that Indian Railways is bleeding, and only revamping the existing model can save it. The Bibek Debroy panel recommendations are aimed at earning revenues from commercial functions, enhancing its overall quality standards by getting into private partnership, making it a viable and an efficiently-run one, not a loss-making public sector enterprise which is what it is now.

Despite the self-serving opposition to the report from various quarters, especially the all-powerful unions, the common man deserves better amenities and comfort on trains, apart from safety.

R Prabhu Raj

Bengaluru

Plastic hazard

In the debate over ready-to-cook food, one important aspect has been ignored: the packing material. There is no doubt that the use of plastic is very harmful to health and the environment. Most ready-to-eat items are sold in plastic packets or bags, and even stored in them at home. Some manufacturers of plastic packets and containers claim their products are not harmful. If this is so, it should be statutorily stated on the product.

People must be warned of the serious health risks of plastic use and should be dissuaded from using them. What concrete steps are being taken by the government, the citizens and the media to save the environment and health? It is better to put a blanket ban on the manufacture of plastic products, or at least the use of it for food items.

M Kumar

New Delhi

Paying for high stakes

The apex court ordering that the AIPMT exam be re-held brings into focus crime networks, the fierce competition over few seats, and lack of morality among students. The court is right in maintaining its stand, however harsh and unpopular it may seem to parents, students and the board.

When there are so few seats and so many candidates, the authorities conducting the test should have weeded out all possibilities of cheating. The failure to do gave an unfair advantage to several students, who made use of technology to get the answers on a platter.

The fact, however, remains that conducting an exam involving such large numbers with more than 1,000 centres is no mean task. Yet, a repeat of what happened cannot be allowed. What motivates aspirants to pay ₹15-20 lakh for such a risky bid at unfair means? The stakes. The demand for doctors far outstrips supply with so few medical seats compared to the number of candidates.

J Akshay

Bengaluru

RuPay doubts

The NPCI chairman has stated that the growth of RuPay card transactions are phenomenal and wants to introduce RuPay credit cards. But not even the RuPay debit cards are accepted by many POS and for online payment. Even some e-commerce platforms don’t accept them. Just 13 per cent usage out of 160 million cards issued is not phenomenal growth. The design and appearance is not impressive, either. It looks like a plain business card.

Sreedhar Murthy

Email

(Send your letters by email to bleditor@thehindu.co.in or by post to ‘Letters to the Editor’, The Hindu Business Line, Kasturi Buildings, 859-860, Anna Salai, Chennai 600002.)

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