Ferro alloy favoured

The Indian Ferro Alloys and Producers’ Association (IFAPA) hosted the 4th International Ferro Alloys Conference, bringing together over 550 delegates and 30 leading industry experts across 10 sessions.

Inaugurated by HD Kumaraswamy, Minister of Heavy Industries and Steel, the conference spotlighted the pivotal role of ferro alloys in powering India’s robust steel industry. However, the industry’s global standing and foreign exchange generation potential is constrained due to high domestic power prices compared to other exporting geographies. Also customs duty on manganese ore imports should be removed.

CK Ramanathan

Ghaziabad

Responsible endorsement

This is with reference to the news report ‘Akshay Kumar most visible star in TV ads in H1’ (October 2). Extensive advertisement of a product increases expectations. Many products in India are popular without much promotion or advertising. These products and industries depend on word-of-mouth publicity to promote their products.

India is a country where sportspersons, especially cricketers and movie stars, are treated as demigods and get product endorsements running into crores of rupees. But these celebrities must be responsible and shun the endorsement of harmful products. Celebrities should emulate Pullela Gopichand, who refused to endorse soft drinks and colas because they are detrimental to the health of children.

Veena Shenoy

Thane

Labour relations

Apropos ‘Resolve industrial unrest through clear laws’(October 2). Indian industries meet with hundreds of strikes leading to the loss of output, labour hours and livelihood of the workers.

Despite various labour laws, strained employer-employee relations is very common. The arbitration between the striking labourers and the management often yields good results. State-Central coordination in solving labour problems will be fruitful. The new four labour codes are still on paper, despite getting passed in both houses of Parliament, thanks to State-Central dissonance in its implementation.

NR Nagarajan

Sivakasi

New team

Apropos ‘Ram Singh, Saugata Bhattacharya, Nagesh Kumar appointed as new MPC members’ (October 2), it was interesting to learn that the govt has appointed the Director of Delhi School of Economics, Ram Singh, noted economist Saugata Bhattacharya, and the Director of the Institute for Studies in Industrial Development, Nagesh Kumar, as the external members of the RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee.

Notably, this trio is also expected to attend the MPC’s bi-monthly meeting on October 9. However, the timing of their nomination assumes significance as there is growing demand for a rate cut following a 50 bps cut by the US Fed.

However, the RBI Governor seems more focused on inflation control for now, which will make it difficult for the new members to push for a rate cut, given the paucity of time.

SK Gupta

New Delhi