Letters to the editor dated December 23, 2021

This refers to ‘The gastronomy of GDP’ (December 23). The subtle satire may have multiple interpretations, depending on an individual’s understanding of economics and, perhaps, one’s economic background. GDP is one statistic which is distorted the world over.

All along, international bodies and individual countries have been manipulating GDP figures to suit their temporary purposes, without ever attempting to arrive at an internationally acceptable purchase power parity pricing system. Comparison of GDP figures will make sense only when prices are standardised in a transparent manner.

Thiruvananthapuram

While the news that ‘More farmers from MP, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan adopt organic farming’ (December 23) is a welcome development, the area under organic cultivation is still miniscule. The main reason for this could be lack of recognition for organic farm practices in terms of price realisation for the actual growers, who have to put in enormous efforts compared to others.

It would, therefore, be a good idea to establish an exclusive authority to facilitate the marketing of certified organic produce.

Halekere Village, Karnataka

This is with reference to ‘Opposition blames BJP for the ‘non-productive’ Winter Session’ (December 23). Whoever is responsible for disruption/non-productive sessions of Parliament should understand that India is a developing country where the timely passing of various pieces of legislation plays a crucial role in economic growth. The pandemic has thrown the economy out of gear and hence the parliamentarians should walk the extra mile to put the economy back on track; passing important legislation is one such step. The ruling and Opposition parties should have cooperated with each other to pass important Bills/legislation. When people vote parliamentarians to power they place a lot of hope in them, and the Members should deliver on the trust reposed in them.

Further, if the various political parties have differences that should not take precedence over protecting the nation’s interests. Political parties and leaders should be more sensitive to the problems faced by the people and should rise above petty politics and focus on economic development and social welfare.

Thane

With the number of people infected with the Omicron variant of coronavirus rising in India, the Union Health Secretary has written to the Chief Secretaries of States and Union Territories exhorting them to clamp restrictions on mass gatherings and impose night curfews.

While the daily case count in the country has been below 10,000 for most of the month, the spread of Omicron with three times higher transmissibility than the Delta variant, which ran riot and took a debilitating toll on the human lives across the globe, has now raised the spectre of a rapid rise in Covid-19 infections in the country.

As the Omicron variant has been infecting even among fully vaccinated people, the significance of adhering to Covid-19 health protocols cannot be lost sight of.

Increasing the pace of vaccination while sprucing up the public healthcare infrastructure holds the key to mitigating the possible negative fallouts arising out of the spread of Omicron.

Sholavandan, TN

Apropos ‘Slaying the demon diesel...’ (December 23), over the years there has a mushrooming of diesel vehicles in Delhi. The ban on diesel vehicles that are more than 10 years may be a viable solution to curb air pollution in Delhi.

The policy initiatives to bring down the use of diesel cars is good. At the same time, pollution caused by industrial units, stubble burning and construction activities must also be controlled.

A faster transition to EVs and prioritising curbs on diesel vehicles will help address Delhi’s air pollution problem.

Sivakasi

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