Assam’s potential

With reference to the article ‘Assam’s semi-conductor push is transformative’ (April 26), the project stands as a beacon of hope for the region’s economic transformation. However, unlocking its full potential necessitates a concerted effort to confront significant hurdles.

Primarily, bridging the skilled workforce gap demands multifaceted solutions.

Furthermore, infrastructure development and supply chain management is paramount for long-term success.

The Assam semiconductor project can serve as a catalyst for inclusive industrial development.

Amarjeet Kumar

Hazaribagh, Jharkhand

SEBI vs IRDA

Apropos “A tale of two financial Regulators”, it is an obvious fact that SEBI and IRDA are poles apart when it comes to safeguarding the interests of investors and policyholders.

The IRDA still has a long way to go compared with SEBI which was unequivocally instrumental in providing a protective sheath to shareholders. SEBI’s proactive measures and hawk-eye are reasons for the growth of India’s equity markets in contrast to the insurance market. A major lacuna of IRDA is in it’s inefficacy in regulating the health insurance companies regarding certain restrictive clauses like “Maternity Clause of Three years,” which is in contravention to “Maternity Benefit Act 1961”

Roy Markose

Bengaluru

Food safety

With reference to the Editorial ‘Spice trial’, food adulteration is not new to India, many companies have been found guilty in the past.

Hong Kong and Singapore’s move against MDH and Everest’s consignment is embarrassing. This incident has also put a question mark over FSSAI’s working, which needs to do a lot of soul searching.

If the processed food products we consume are harmful for our health, then the food regulator will have to be proactive rather than reactive in ensuring public health.

Bal Govind

Noida

Apropos, ‘Spice trial’ (April 26), Singapore and Hong Kong has banned a slew of spices and condiments belonging to MDH and Everest brands exported from India, since the sample tests confirmed the presence of a high levels of pesticides.

Following these embarrassing bans, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has rushed to close the barn door after the horse has bolted.

It commissioned quality checks on MDH and Everest spice mixes to determine whether they have carcinogen traces above permissible levels.

When the country is pushing to increase exports to new markets, allowing a dangerous quality lapse is a huge credibility dent. The quality of food products in the domestic market cannot be ignored. Undeniably, there is a crying need to ramp up our quality control systems.

N Sadhasiva Reddy

Bengaluru

comment COMMENT NOW