Letters to the editor dated July 7, 2021

This refers to the news report, “Demand for 'justice' for Stan Swamy” (July 6). Stan Swamy was arrested in a dubious case of the Elgar Parishad violence. The Indian State and its agencies have hounded him for months. He was suffering from Parkinson’s disease, and could not hold a glass in his hand. He also had other ailments and contracted Covid while in jail. Physical disabilities and ailments of accused persons do not attenuate a crime but Stan Swamy’s case should be seen differently. It is impossible to believe that an 84-year-old sick man who served tribals and Adivasis for decades and had no record of any crime in his life would work for the violent overthrow of the Indian State.

Stan Swamy’s plea for bail was rejected many times. His health deteriorated in jail and he did not get proper treatment there. He found it difficult to eat, take a bath and walk without help from others. He said a few weeks ago that he would “rather suffer, possibly die very shortly, if this were to go on’’. The dire words have come true, but he died not because his heart stopped but because of the heartlessness of the State and its institutions and agencies. It should shame all, and the blood is on all hands. Stan Swamy is a martyr to human rights and will remain a living question mark on the nation’s conscience.

Bengaluru

This refers to the article “Leadership during Covid times”(July 6). In an acute situation of crisis management created by Covid-19 trustworthiness is the most crucial competence of a leader. While some of the attributes of a leader mentioned in the article such as risk taking, empathy and resilience are pre-requisites, some more like authenticity, leading by example, exuding optimism and exhibiting initiative and drive define a leader for crisis management. Covid-19 has created a sense of panic among the people. At such a time correct information sharing (even if unpalatable) and still retaining the morale of public are imperative for a trustworthy leader.

Pune

Apropos “A blueprint for making PSBs Atmanirbhar” (July 6), privatising loss making PSBs is not fair, if the intention is merely to save them from the menace of non-performing assets. Whether it is a private sector bank or public sector bank, NPAs are a common issue, only the degree differs.

PSBs which earn profit and share it with the government by way of dividend, finds a place in government’s budgetary accounting. To tide over the issue of capital infusion, such profit making banks could be allowed to allocate their annual profit entirely towards their capital needs, instead of transferring it to the government’s kitty. This would reduce the financial burden on the Centre to some extent. If required, necessary amendments to the relevant Acts could be looked at.

Chennai

The author of the article on Annual Reports has highlighted the difficulties in using an annual report comprehensively. Even with the easy availability of the reports in digital format, the sheer size and the verbosity renders them inaccessible to the lay reader. The devil always is in the details. Companies should provide an abridged report with the essential details to their shareholders. Notwithstanding the regulatory diktats on disclosures, many annual reports are perfunctory and disingenuous.

The digital format can enable interactive annual reports. Readers can be guided through cross-references to different sections based on need rather than having to peruse the full report tediously. In its present form, the standard report leave the average reader high and dry

Bengaluru

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