Room to innovate

This is with reference to ‘Where is Indian science headed’ by TV Jayan and A Srinivas (India File, January 30). Our education system does not encourage innovation and research. Dedicated and good teachers are a prerequisite for this. Lack of government support for research and innovations also constrains talent. Our leaders look for short-term gains, and do not invest in research and technology. Consequently, scientists and engineers migrate to foreign countries. If we want development, economic growth and employment opportunities for millions of youth we should encourage innovation and research.

Thane, Maharashtra

According to the Economic Survey the economy should grow at 7.75 per cent in the next financial year. People don’t care about statistics or growth projections. They want a reasonable standard of living, which figures cannot guarantee. India should get its fundamentals correct to increase real income or goods and services to expected levels.

Chennai

The Survey rightly points out the need to eliminate embedded taxes expeditiously. The new indirect taxes regime has madeIndia is at a disadvantage even compared to Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia. As protectionism by western countries grows, there is a great danger for Indian exports. Like China, India should vigorously pursue the policy of exports-at-any-cost.

New Delhi

Evidently, the impact of demonetisation and GST is nothing but hard times before the dawn of good days. But one should not miss the point that there was a time when a rupee bought 5 to 10 seers (approximately 7 to 13 kilos) of rice. It does not require an expert to say that the prices of goods and services will not remain the same in the coming days.

Decelerated exports and accelerated imports derailed the economy. When real incomes are affected, it is natural that the spending pattern also is affected. The focus of this year’s budget should be on jobs, rural growth, and education.

Hassan, Karnataka

With interest rates rising in leading economies we may have little choice but to follow suit. In any case incremental corporate investments have been inelastic to rates for many quarters. Rising key rates will reduce existing corporate bond values and increase cost of their borrowings.

Fiscal incontinence would skew it further. The burden of investment for growth must revert to the Government, and a fiscal overreach is inevitable. A measured fiscal breach may not be hard to sustain as the Survey finds the economy robust overall.

Navi Mumbai

Arvind Subramanian surmising that the GST has factored in economic growth projections rings true. But climate change affecting India's farm growth is a serious concern. The Survey imploring the Government to be cautious about getting its policies and priorities right in lest it loses its fiscal credibility, and to strengthen private investment and exports, considered to be the engines of sustainable growth, is something the ruling party would ignore at its own peril.

Bengaluru

With reference to ‘Air India sell-off: centre should finish what it started, says CEA’ (January 30), , such a transition may not be all that smooth. This gains more prominence as there could still be several ifs and buts to the Government’s half-hearted game plan. Some in the Government themselves do not subscribe to its publicly held views.

And what about politicians 'and senior bureaucrats who have all along treated AI as their personal fiefdom? So, it seems that the Government wishes to eat the cake and have it too. What else could explain the fact that it has not gone on board to privatise it outright?

New Delhi

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