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Relief at last

Apropos ‘Govt slashes LPG prices by ₹200 to tame inflation’ (August 30), the Centre’s announcement is certainly a “better late than never” decision benefiting the poor and the middle class.

The Opposition’s charge that the announcement is “election oriented and political” is absurd.

Since States too come out with freebies what is so political when the Centre does the same?

After all, inflation is a reality with tremendous price hikes in every item that the households utilise and it is only hoped that the Centre would not reverse this price cut in future.

Katuru Durga Prasad Rao

Hyderabad

A surprise govt gift

The government’s latest decision to slash the domestic LPG prices by ₹200, benefiting 33 crore households, as also expand PM Ujjwala Yojana with 75 lakh new connections, ought to be welcomed by all, even though it was a done ‘belatedly’.

However, if the government was keen on coming to the rescue of 33 crore domestic (non-subsidised) LPG consumers, should it not have done this earlier?

It’s a different matter that there has been no “reprieve” at all from their persistently rising prices since 2020, which eventually culminated in its retail prices going beyond ₹1100, an unusual/unprecedented development, for sure.

The Union Oil Minister must also put out all the relevant data on oil and LPG prices since 2020, given the impact it has had on ‘kitchen’ inflation.

Now will the government also reduce the price of auto fuels as the five State Assembly elections are already knocking at its doors?

Vinayak G

New Delhi

Ethanol-based cars

It refers to “World’s first electrified flex fuel vehicle launched”. Indeed it is welcome to have ethanol based flex fuel cars which can help us both reduce pollution directly and indirectly. Stubble burning can also be reduced significantly as farmers can sell it for ethanol production and in turn extra income from the residues too.

But the million dollar question is whether the government and OEMs can produce it on mass level to get the desired benefits, otherwise it will remain an isolated case which attracts attention for a while and then people forget it.

So all efforts should be to make it on mass level with competitive pricing so that the general public can buy it and can contribute towards a cleaner and greener environment.

Bal Govind

Noida

Conserve groundwater

Apropos “Groundwater needs a recharge” (August 29), since the agriculture sector is the major user of groundwater, the best way to conserve groundwater is by adopting modern and scientific irrigation methods. The practice of flood irrigation for crops like paddy and sugarcane must be changed to drip and micro irrigation techniques which reduces ground water depletion apart from higher crop yield.

On the other hand rejuvenation of ponds and tanks by rainwater harvesting must be taken up on war footing by minimising river water flow into oceans. RWH in the urban sector must taken up on a war footing instead of offering incentives for the infrastructure that does not work.

Rajiv Magal

Halekere Village (Karnataka)

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