This refers to ‘Note-ban fallout: 90,000 ‘non-filers’ on tax radar’ (June 12). Demonetisation of ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes might have inconvenienced the general public to some extent but the people who accumulated these in large numbers used devious means to dispose them, like using the bank accounts of gullible people. Now, the income-tax department, by incisively going through the bank accounts, has been able to crack down on such people who deposited ₹10 lakh or more by sending notices to file income-tax returns. Undoubtedly, the note-ban, though criticised, has helped unearth unaccounted money and acted as a game changer.

HP Murali

Bengaluru

Trump-Kim meet

To the cheer of peace lovers across the globe, the much anticipated historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un at Singapore has gone off well with both the leaders having expressed their willingness to put their hostilities behind and craft a new future that would do more good to the cause of world peace and stability. Not so long ago, both the leaders had exchanged heated barbs and exacerbated military tensions in the Korean Peninsula. But all has changed for the better with both Trump and Kim burying the hatchet. The comprehensive agreement signed by the two leaders with a thrust on achieving the long elusive dream of de-nuclearisation of Korea is indeed heartening. The successful summit between the two leaders holds important lessons for the international community that there exist no effective substitute to diplomacy and dialogue in resolving the contentious issues between countries. Both the leaders should take credit for walking the extra mile and herald a new chapter in international diplomacy

M Jeyaram

Sholavandan, TN

Once bitten, always shy

With reference to ‘Indian Railways will not be privatised, asserts Goyal’ (June 12), the Railway Minister Piyush Goyal’s assurance raises more questions than answers, especially when viewed in the context of the government’s futile attempts to selectively privatise Air India (by strangely retaining 24 per cent share therein). Was the position any different on the issue of addressing the similarly placed concerns of the would-be affected employees of debt-ridden Air India at that time? One really wonders whether the Railway Minister’s magnanimous pro-employee decision has anything to do with the well-known saying, “Once bitten, always shy”? The report also talks about the Railways inviting private participation in certain “non-core operations” which, among others, include ‘running freight’. Can ‘running freight’, which is understood to be one of the key sources of its revenue, be justifiably put in the ‘non-core’category?

However, the Railways’ latest attempts to address various long-pending issues such as train delays, safety of the rail passengers as also putting in place a well-meaning mechanism for redress of all genuine grievances of passengers deserve to be lauded.

Kumar Gupt

Panchkula, Haryana

Governance matters

Apropos the editorial ‘Professionalising governance’ (June 12), while the idea is commendable (as most schemes in India), the execution would bring out the true intent of the government. As has been pointed out by critics, there is a real danger of preferred individuals being inducted in crucial decision-making positions in the bureaucracy. With a limited tenure of three years, they could push their agenda whose effects would be visible after they have left.

In order to have a fair system in place, the recruitment process of these functionaries should be transparent. It should be handed over to the UPSC, which should publish the same in advance. The technical competence of the individuals should be tested by a written exam. Qualifications for recruitment should be more stringent in terms of educational expertise as well as job experience to weed out unnecessary applicants. Only then would the scheme fulfil its purpose of professionalising the bureaucracy.

Navin Bhatia

Jaipur

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