Apropos, ‘Over 200 dead in Ahmedabad plane crash’ (June 13), the horrifying crash of an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad on Thursday has left 265 dead and only one survivor, devastating families and shaking India’s faith in aviation safety. As one of the world’s largest aviation markets, India must confront hard truths.
Boeing’s Dreamliner has faced global scrutiny, but the burden doesn’t lie solely with manufacturers.
As investigators search for answers, India must act swiftly. This disaster is a grim reminder: policy reforms, and stricter safety protocols. Investment in preventive measures is no longer optional — they are a national imperative.
N Sadhasiva Reddy
Bengaluru
Remarkable achievement
With reference to the Editorial ‘Poverty breakthrough’, India has registered a remarkable drop in extreme poverty in the last decade and this has been achieved due to food subsidies and welfare schemes that supported rural livelihoods.
It is a testimony of a transformative shift in millions of lives. Now to sustain this positive momentum the government will have to work on areas like inequality, quality of jobs and inclusive growth across the society and country so that rural-urban poverty gap can further be bridged.
Bal Govind
Noida
Target better
With reference to the Editorial ‘Poverty breakthrough’ (June 13), the poverty alleviation schemes of the government are enabling the targeted groups to raise their income and also helping them to come out of acute poverty and starvation.
The direct benefit transfer system ensures that the entire benefits are reaching in the hands of the intended beneficiaries without any cut in the benefits.
The criteria stipulations for the above and below poverty lines need to be reframed to exclude the beneficiaries ineligible to receive the benefits under various poverty alleviation programmes to curtail the expenses.
Even though poverty eradication is progressing, the quality of life of those targeted groups is not improving. The health conditions and education of people who are below the poverty line are still poor and as such it is negatively impacting their involvement in the development of the nation.
Given the significance of the inclusion of all stakeholders in the development of the country, the government must look to formulate a comprehensive poverty line criterion that must cover all aspects of the needs of life to bolster living standards and quality.
VSK Pillai
Changanacherry (Kerala)
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