If the Modi government eventually expunged the contentious ‘Hindi clause’ from the draft new educational policy in the face of opposition to the trial balloon (the move to impose Hindi), it was to smooth non-Hindi speaking people’s ruffled feathers.

It is not a U-turn or a climb-down, but an attempt to sugar-coat the three-language policy still retained in the draft. It needs no great intelligence to identify the ‘third language’ in the three-language formula and see through the ploy to make Hindi learning compulsory through the back door. What is required is not just the omission of ‘Hindi’ from the draft policy, but the roll-back of the three-language policy itself.

If the Modi government is so keen on ‘greater cognitive development of children’ by means of ‘multilingualism’, it can well start with introducing Tamil, Kannada, Marathi or any one of the ‘official’ languages in Hindi-speaking States.

G David Milton

Maruthancode, TN

High cost of funds

This refers to ‘Arresting the growth slowdown’ (June 3). India’s economy is slowing, inflation is breathing hard and the central bank is cutting interest rates. But the cost of long-term money is refusing to budge.

What could be troubling the market is the unknown quantum of public spending via borrowings, that are but sovereign liabilities, beyond the ₹7-lakh crore fiscal gap.

FCI alone has borrowed over ₹2-lakh crore this year, most of it from non-market sources. All this highlights the need for deepening the corporate bond market to meet the funding requirement of the infrastructure sector, particularly by insurance firms and pension funds.

R Narayanan

Navi Mumbai

Boosting growth

The Centre needs to hit the ground running and usher in measures to put our economy on the trajectory of high growth. Falling agriculture growth and sluggishness in the manufacturing sector are cause for greater concern.

Tight fiscal and monetary policies coupled with high interest rates over the years have virtually laid to rest hopes of a revival in private investment. Enhanced public spending on sectors such as cement, steel and housing to accelerate their discernible multiplier effects on the economy while taking steps to rationalise redundant subsidies hold the key now to arrest the slide in economic growth.

M Jeyaram

Sholavandan, TN

Reviving the economy

The government has its task cut out in terms of reviving economic growth and creating employment. It needs to increase spending to get the economy back on track. And the investment and GST rules should be such that they spur private investments. For long-gestation projects, banks should desist from lending And NBFCs, which are going through their worst crisis ever, will have to be given a fresh lease of life.

Bal Govind

Noida

A solution to farm distress

This is with reference to ‘How Kadwanchi’s farmers went against the flow and tasted success’ (June 1). What Kadwanchi’s farmers have done to increase their income is the best way to mitigate farm distress in India. Water conservation, rainwater harvesting and cultivating economically viable crops are the need of the hour. For this, the government should join hands with NGOs and create awareness among farming communities and handhold them through the change. Large corporates can use their CSR-spend to improve the lot of farmers.

Narayan Joshi

Jamkhandi, Karnataka

Motivate entrepreneurs

The RBI’s plan to cut the repo rate by 25 basis points to boost the economy is one that has been tried even earlier, but has not always yielded results. With India faring better in terms of the ‘ease of doing business’ index, Indian entrepreneurs need a policy push in others areas such as licensing, land allotment, power tariff, and taxation. The success of any venture does not depend on cost of funds alone.

Rajiv Magal

Sakaleshpur, Karnataka

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Send your letters by email to bleditor@thehindu.co.in or by post to ‘Letters to the Editor’, The Hindu Business Line, Kasturi Buildings, 859-860, Anna Salai, Chennai 600002.

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