Govt, RBI stand-off

At a time when the Centre is at the fag end of its term, a tussle with a prime institution like the RBI is unwarranted as it would affect the execution of economic and social reforms. The development of telecommunication, power and other infrastructure has enabled the country to improve substantially the ease of doing business. The RBI, being responsible for the financial and banking sectors, must remain autonomous to ensure better governance as both the areas are key to drive economic growth.

Since the goals of the government and the RBI coincide, both have to respect each other’s operational space. While economic growth is impossible without adequate credit, the RBI needs to ensure that its policies do not hamper the growth of credit and investment. The government, rather than blame the RBI for the heap of bad loans and lack of governance in banks and non-banking financial companies, must find ways to come to resolve the problems. The government and the RBI need to function in tandem for ensuring growth with stability and to regain the confidence of the investors.

Kottayam

Disagreement between two or more public establishments is not a bad thing to be curtailed or avoided prima facie . Constructive disagreement, akin to a lighthouse, would guide us to find as many alternatives as possible to a problem. No government in the world would allow its central bank to function on its own always. A responsible government will always have to satisfy its people and keep economic growth intact.

The central bank, on the other hand, is entrusted with the task of ensuring smooth flow of money into the system and keep inflation in check. The thorny issue, however, is that the government often expects the RBI to be supportive of its populist measures, which many a times may not be economically viable.

Cuddalore, TN

Air pollution is a matter of great concern in India. In Delhi especially, pollution reaches dangerous levels during Diwali. The country faces high death rate due to asthma and other chronic respiratory diseases. This is a national health crisis and requires urgent action. The first step towards countering this environmental and health hazard would be to phase out vehicles that cause most pollution — old trucks, buses, tempos — and focus on renewable sources of power generation. For this, the Central and State governments must co-operate and act in haste.

New Delhi

This is with reference to ‘Tribal health schemes are getting a raw deal’ (November 2). It is pathetic to see that even after 71 years of Independence, tribals do not have adequate medical facilities. How can we talk of development when tribals, who form nearly 8.6 per cent of the population, lack medical facilities? Why cannot the government give wholehearted support to doctors like Dr Prakash Amte and Dr Abhay Bang who are doing great job in tribal healthcare? The government can encourage these doctors by providing funds and infrastructure so that students who have completed MBBS can work with them and take advantage of their expertise. Also, there are many senior doctors who would like to work for society, but are hesitant due to cumbersome procedures and bottlenecks. The government should appoint a medical committee that will identify such doctors from each and every State.

The government should also give concessions to young doctors who are willing to work in backward areas. Some of them work in pathetic conditions.

The infrastructure connecting the tribal hamlets to various hospitals in nearby areas should be improved, so that the tribals can visit these hospitals easily during emergencies. Finally, legislators should be made accountable for tribal welfare, especially in the realm of healthcare.

Thane

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