Ukraine crisis

Defying the vociferous call from the international community for an immediate halt to the war on Ukraine, which now threatens to morph itself into a humanitarian catastrophe, Russia has upped the ante with its intensifying military strikes. While Russia had made considerable advances and captured a few cities, fierce resistance from the Ukranian army on the ground does suggest that it will not be that easy for Russia to bring Ukraine under its tutelage within a shorter span of time as predicted by many strategic experts.

India’s neutral stance despite the pressure from Western powers to vote against Russia in the UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions is understandable given its historical and enduring strategic and defence partnership with Russia. However, if the situation worsens and leads to mounting civilian casualties on the Ukranian side, India cannot afford to turn a blind eye to it. Given the bonhomie it enjoys with Russia, India needs to continue with its efforts to persuade it to declare a ceasefire. What the world needs at this juncture is not more bloodshed and violence.

M Jeyaram

Sholavandan, TN

Is LIC competition proof?

Is the proposed LIC IPO a once-in-a-lifetime event as touted by some market watchers and news makers, or is it likely to fizzle out like some of the heavily advertised issues last year by the likes of Paytm and companies with only online presence? For one, the government is selling only 5 per cent of its holding with the 95 per cent ownership still retained by it. The insurance behemoth would continue to function with its huge bureaucracy, still subject to all the regulations and the statutory protocols crimping its style and agility which is what matters in a new competitive market place.

The public has continued to repose their faith in LIC, precisely because of its sovereign ownership. But then, there are ventures by leading banks of the country, many of which have started nibbling at the business of LIC. As time goes, some of these too are expected to grow in size and give tough competition to LIC. The ventures promoted by the banks have their huge captive customer base through established business connections.

MP Muralidharan

Bengaluru

Protection against climate hazards

This refers to ‘A dire report card on climate change’ ( March 4). There is need that additional money be invested in resilience building programmes. The government should take steps to provide direct support to households and businesses hit by devastations caused by climate change. It must also play a role in protecting public assets and services. Social protection systems must be rapidly scaled up to cover more people.

P Sundara Pandian

Virudhunagar, TN

Natural disasters on the rise

The IPCC report clearly suggests that the world is soon going to face the worst kinds of climatic hazards. Humankind seems to be blissfully unaware that they are speeding towards doomsday as nations pay little attention to the tragedies that are soon going to come their way. Cyclones, forest fires and floods have risen alarmingly in the past few years. Rich nations thinking they were immune from natural disasters because of their economic heft have been as badly affected as the poorest nations.

As an predominantly agricultural nation, India stands to suffer more than the others. Therefore, it should be in our own interest to push for measures that would at least lower the speed at which we are hurtling to disaster.

Anthony Henriques

Mumbai

Cause for concern

Apropos ‘One step forward, one step backward’ (March 4), the most surprising part of the chain reaction which led SEBI to make the separation of posts of chairman and MD/CEO a voluntary exercise was the nudge from the Finance Minister to SEBI to review it. The provision was not the creation of a bureaucrat but a committee headed by Uday Kotak, one of the leading lights of the business world.

Historically speaking, our captains of industry have an inherent distaste for business regulations (triggered by the licence-permit raj), but the proposed bifurcation was a step for better governance and not for stifling it. When corporates did not act on the mandatory requirement even after being a long extension, it is a no brainer to expect that it will be followed when made voluntary.

YG Chouksey

Pune

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