Letters to the editor dated November 16, 2020

This refers to ‘Art of giving’ (November 16). The yardstick employed for ranking philanthropists per se is flawed. For an individual owning a private entity, the yardstick should be how ethically he/she runs the firm. Is the firm adhering to the law of the land and meeting its obligations to all stakeholders? It should not be the case of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Further, the country can be on a development trajectory only if the yawning gap between the haves and have- nots narrow. The government coming down heavily on bona fide NGOs is unwarranted, as it goes against the grain of philanthropy.

No legislation or regulation can prescribe and ensure philanthropy. It’s an act that spontaneously comes from the contributors’ inner feelings of brotherhood. What philanthropists really want is to see improvement in the lives of the beneficiaries. Keeping aside CSR, every citizen should endeavour to do something good in whatever way possible for the downtrodden.

A case in point is the unique 3E (educate, empower and enable) formula of Achyuta Samanta, the founder of the Kalinga Institute of Social Science. The institute provides holistic education from KG to PG, along with boarding, free of cost.

Gurgaon, Haryana

The current voter fraud protests have dented the image of the US. The time has come to clear the air on the election results. Besides, this is an opportunity to make the future election process much more foolproof. The legal community and the powers that be in the US should wake up and take bold steps to deal with the crisis.

Mumbai

Covid has affected India’s financial sector badly, and its revival is likely to take years. Banks especially have been hit by the six-month loan moratorium, waiver of interest on interest ordered by the apex court, poor recovery in almost all loan categories, slow progress in NCLT cases, and tepid credit growth.

Besides, banks face the looming risk to asset quality during the coming months. NBFCs in the housing sector too have been badly hit, because of continued funding constraints. One needs to see how effectively the government handles the situation.

Bhimavaram, AP

Apropos ‘Gig work & India’s Gen Z’ (November 16), the author aptly brings to light the growing significance of technically qualified gig work in the labour economy.

The Start-up and Stand-Up missions can help the youth upgrade their skills to become entrepreneurs. With gig work gaining ground, the deserving candidates can get lucrative offers for their services.

Sivakasi

Experts are brainstorming over the need for better cold-storage facilities, robust logistics and greater financial resources to vaccinate the population against coronavirus. Thankfully, the number of corona cases has fallen drastically, prompting the people to step outdoors in large numbers. The new normal of social distance in trains, flights, exam-centres and workplaces seems to be working without conscious effort. While the corona laggards — the developed nations — are reintroducing lockdown measures to combat a potentially deadlier strain of the virus, India has almost flattened the curve. Although pockets within the country may be witnessing a third-wave, encouraging sero-survey results indicate decent levels of herd immunity.

Truly, community transmission remained an illusion, despite our vast geography and high population density. It the timely decision to go in for lockdown that has helped save millions of lives. The progress made in our Covid battle shows how collective efforts, by the States and the Centre, can help. If we main the momentum, a V-shaped economic recovery shouldn’t be far off.

New Delhi

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