Sterlite plant closure

The Tamil Nadu government’s decision to shut the Sterlite Copper permanently (May 29) is easier said than done considering the fact that the company’s CEO only last week made it clear that “exiting is not on the cards”. When the allegations of air, land pollution led to public protests, the company not only fought it out legally but also made efforts to obtain all the required clearances.

A prolonged legal battle lies ahead as Vedanta, the parent, is a conglomerate with deep pockets and has much stake in the project.

Bengaluru

In the article ‘The kirana store will remain evergreen’ (May 29) the author mentions ease of access, locally relevant goods and real estate prices as the factors which would keep these stores evergreen. However, none of these can be considered permanent in these fast changing times.

Already, Future Retail is addressing each of these factors through their Easyday small format stores. With over 600 such stores across 117 cities in India, these are located close to the consumer, have local products and staff and do not require large space.

Kishore Biyani has already unveiled his vision of having 10,000 such stores by 2022 with a store within 2 km of every consumer.

This, indeed would change the kirana landscape as never before. Perhaps the kirana stores may remain green, but their shade may just be a pale shadow of the present.

Jaipur, Rajasthan

The malls have not displaced the kiranas, only resized them. E-tailing has accorded greater value to time, a stressed commodity in modern living. If the kirana store owner provides a friendly nod at the shop counter, the malls provide an overall ambience for spending both time and money, and an e-tailer helps save time and effort.

If a customer chooses the way he shops, the seller is quick to improvise his marketing. It is not the other way round.

The axiom is that a customer and his goods are never be separated . Money circulation in any form or by any vehicle induces growth and employment. The government must only ensure oversight on fair conduct across each form of business but also a level playing field between them.

Navi Mumbai

The responsibility for the proposed nationwide bank strike on May 30 and 31 should be squarely placed at the doorstep of the Indian Banks’ Association.

The offer of 2 per cent hike in salary as against 15 per cent in the last settlement was obviously a slap in the face of unions.

It is unreasonable to deny a reasonable wage revision after five years, citing ill health of banks caused mainly by extraneous factors.

The argument by the unions that banks have made substantial operational profit too has some merit.

The settlement up to scale VII need not become a contentious issue as there is scope for bank-wise performance-based incentives. The government, which has been advising the IBA to conclude the wage revision before November 2017, too does not appear to have intervened.

The observations made by the Chief Labour Commissioner after the conciliation talks also point to the insensitivity of bank managements.

Kannur, Kerala

This refers to ‘Govt moves to arm itself with cyber warriors’ (May 29). The government should introduce new courses related to cyber security from the graduation level.

This will help students develop the required skill and for recruiters it becomes easy to select the right candidate for the right job. Also autonomous professional bodies related to banking, finance and engineering sector should introduce certification courses.

This will help employees update their skills. Also, universities should introduce new courses that matches the demand of industry.

Hyderabad

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