Letters to the editor dated May 15, 2020

This refers to ‘In the second tranche, FM puts migrants farmers first’ (May 15). In its stimulus spree, the government’s dispensing of food grains to migrants is apparently an Utopian measure, as currently neither our PDS system is equipped enough nor are FPS dealers technology-savvy enough to cope with and account for new customers. The probability of misuse is quite high and system may be gamed by unscrupulous elements, thus defeating the noble objective of the proposal.

Doling out freebies is a band-aid solution. Poignant videos of migrant workers’ plight is going viral on social media inexorably; yet the PM exudes supreme confidence that 21st Century belongs to India.

The government ought to view the migrants’ issues as empathically and compassionately, as it is stranded citizens overseas. The government should explain why despite the running of Shramik trains, migrant workers continue to trudge on highways.What is the blue print for their reverse migration to keep industries and factories running? Is there any concrete plan in the offing to rehabilitate them to live with modicum of dignity?

Chennai

If the first tranche of relief measures announced by the Union Finance Minister to mitigate the devastating impact of the coronovirus is aimed at ensuring liquidity flow to various sectors, including MSMEs, the second one is primarily focussed on ensuring food security for migrant workers and easing credit flows to street vendors and small farmers. The provision of food grains for the next two months and a renewed push to ‘One Nation One Ration card’ are steps in the right direction. No doubt, the proposed measures could prevent poor migrants from being ended up as victims to starvation and hunger, but what they are now increasingly in need of, along with street vendors and small farmers, is income support through direct cash transfer. As they constitute the most vulnerable sections and bear the maximum brunt from one of the stringent lockdowns of the world, relief must be directly proportionate to their sufferings.

Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu

Apropos ‘Marketing reforms a must for horticulture’ (May 15). Indeed, the Covid-19 pandemic dealt a heavy blow to the horticulture sector by forcing farmers to sell horticulture products like flowers, fruits, and vegetables at throwaway prices, thanks to perishability and the absence of transportation facilities. The demand for horticulture products has also come down drastically due to the ban on religious and social functions. The closure of restaurants is a major blow for vegetable supply, and the reduced purchasing power of people constrains the consumption of horticulture products.The eternal redress for this is to diffuse and decentralise the market and augment cold storage facilities at cluster levels.Above all, enhancing the e-NAM structure is vital for hassle-free, nationwide marketing.

Sivakasi

Apropos ‘A change of dress for courts’ (May 15). Tradition, rather than rationale, seems to be the reason for court functionaries to stick to the black coats as their uniform. Black is supposed to signify power, elegance, discipline and mystery, qualities that go well with the legal profession. However, black is not an all-weather colour.

As regards the wearing of coat on formal occasions, it is a part of tradition the British ushered in India. But the insistence on such dress formality is now giving room to attire which facilitates comfortable working. Even as corporate honchos are moving towards semi-formality at work, the judiciary too should review its dress code to be in step with new culture.

Pune

The government has announced that all housing projects slated to complete on or after March 25, 2020 will be suo moto extended by six months. Similar to this, there are many contracts in daily life like product warranties, service agreements, post-dated cheques, milestone payments for houses etc which could not be fulfiled due to lockdown. The government should issue an ordinance taking care of such difficulties to the common man by extending validity of all such contractual obligations by six months

Mumbai

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