Letters to the editor dated September 3, 2020

Apropos ‘SBI to offer VRS to 30,000 officers, employees’ (September 3). The issue of VRS is a very important one, requiring deep consideration of several factors. Though the age of eligibility is stated as 55 years, urging the staff to retire is likely to wreck havoc due to various domestic and family circumstances, and they may end up being forced to take the VRS only for the due benefits as prescribed. But in due course of time, the employees will face financial problems. As such, the question of voluntary retirement earlier than the mandated age is a serious matter, and only in cases of health-related or personal problems should retirement be considered.

Coimbatore

This refers to the editorial ‘Credibility dented’ (September 3). Assuming the World Bank had published its Ease of Doing Business rankings, and India had been on a lower rank, then the government would have gleefully brushed it aside. The EODB rankings in any case seem sketchy and rely on a small sample size. Though India has leapfrogged in EODB, the business environment is discouraging. There is no accountability or transparency in bureaucracy. Budding entrepreneurs who muster the courage to set up enterprise are harassed to such a degree that their ambitions don’t see the light of day.

Vying to get a favourable ranking from world’s rating agencies is not going to make India self-reliant. Having said that, the government’s protectionist policy is against globalisation and even excellent EODB ratings may not woo global investors.

Chennai

This refers to ‘How about a WFH government?’ (September 3). The government of the day must first suitably prune its ‘oversized’ Cabinet by asking all Union ministers aged 60 and above to step down. In fact, the government always seems keen to exit anything and everything that directly or indirectly devolves some onerous responsibilities upon it. Some living cases in example could be the reforms in the functioning of Railways, banking, and divestment from PSUs.

Notably, the Union Civil Aviation Minister has reportedly gone to the extent of claiming that the government should not be running airports and airlines. By that logic, there seems to be no rationale in continuing with institutions like the Airports Authority of India. Let the DGCA function as the government’s key nodal agency for the purpose. Similarly, other out of sync/dysfunctional/ornamental ministries can also be scrapped.

New Delhi

Recent data from the NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) on jail population, pointing to a grim fact that Dalits, tribals and Muslims continue to be jailed in numbers disproportionate to their total share of population in India, made for a sad reading. This can be largely attributed to prevalence of entrenched discrimination and marginalisation of historically oppressed communities in our society. This is not to say that the demographic mix in prison must be a reflection of the demographic mix in the society. However, we should not be oblivious to the socio-economic deprivation, lack of livelihood opportunities and difficulty to access effective legal support afflicting our marginalised communities, and the direct bearing on their right to live with dignity. Our march towards ending entrenched discrimination against marginalised communities is far from over. As a first step towards correcting the imbalance in India’s prison, the country must take concrete steps to ensure the marginalised communities have an unhindered access to justice.

Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu

Reports indicating 27 per cent excess rainfall during August is a matter to cheer only for the statisticians. A monsoon becomes good only when the spread of rainfall is uniform and not if it becomes a deluge, pouring miseries on farmers that cause more harm. In reality, since 2018, August has been a month of calamity for farmers, especially those in the plantation sector, since it has caused more than expected damage for the economy as well as human lives. This appears to be the revenge nature is taking for the relentless atrocity meted out by humans for years, and must serve as an eye opener.

Hassan, Karnataka