Ministers’ conduct

This is with reference to ‘Modi pulls up ministers for shirking Parliamentary duties’ (July 17). The Prime Minister is right in pulling up the ministers for shirking parliamentary duties.Skipping of sessions by Parliamentarians leads to delays in passing Bills and legislation. There should be strict rules to make Parliamentarians attend sessions. Also, the Prime Minister should look to curtail the expenses of the exchequer by reducing the luxurious amenities given to Parliamentarians.

Thane

This refers to ‘Education’s crucial link with nutrition’ (July 17). The author makes a relevant and strong case for providing adequate nutritional support to children. One answer could lie in Swacch Bharat kitchen gardens in backyards and villages. This will take care of the needs of malnourished kids as well. The ‘midday meal’ scheme has been successful and served its purpose to a large extent. It can, however, be tweaked and scaled up further. Like the successful Swacch Bharat mission, for nourishment, a massive campaign must be initiated to encourage the setting up of small kitchen gardens in villages. Rainwater harvesting is the next step. This must be propagated right from the school level.

Vadodara

With reference to ‘Karnataka crisis: Rebel MLAs not to be compelled to take part in House proceedings, says apex court’ (July 17), the Supreme Court seems to have put the ball back into the court of the Karnataka Assembly Speaker by ‘permitting’ him to decide on the resignations of the 15 rebel MLAs. However, the apex court also simultaneously took the sheen out of the Congress-JD(S) government’s astute game plan to tactfully ‘rein in’ all the rebel MLAs, by ordering that they should not be compelled to take part in the Assembly proceedings. It appears all may be over for this alliance led by HD Kumaraswamy, which solely aimed at keeping the BJP out of power in Karnataka. Let us wait till July 18 when the State government is scheduled to seek the vote of confidence. However, the numerical die seems to be largely cast in favour of the BJP which may eventually have the last laugh.

Panchkula, Haryana

This refers to ‘IndiGo’s blues’ (July 17). At a time when Jet Airways is doomed and IndiGo enjoys almost half of the market share, investors would have expected IndiGo to go for the kill and consolidate its position further. But that was not to be. Indeed it raises more than a few eyebrows, when after being at the helm for as many as 13 years, Gangwal raises corporate governance issues in the airline.

Noida

The fact that IndiGo does not appear to be part of the ‘Jet’-set is a positive, as gleaned from its short but highly successful operations from 2006. The credit for this must be shared by both the promoters. Keeping the average age of the fleet low by selling and leasing back its planes, ensuring high employee performance, and pursuing excellent operational logistics are not easy. The current rift between the promoters is clearly for a preferred path of growth trajectory. The prudence of the partners in delegating their lawyers to work out a solution to the dispute shows their shared concern for the well-being of the airline. The long term flight path of IndiGo may well depend on which promoter gets his ideas through.

Navi Mumbai

This refers to “Time ripe for sovereign external borrowing” (July 17). The author has listed out various advantages of sovereign external borrowing by India. At the current forex reserve level of $428 billion, borrowing of $10 billion may be a small percentage. But the government may be tempted to use this avenue in the future to the full extent, which may increase the risk. It will be the responsibility of the RBI to ensure that the government does not cross the safe limit.

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