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In ‘Needlessly demonising demonetisation’ (November 13), writer Himadri Bhattacharya says: “The charge that DeMo has triggered the growth slide has not been proved.” This is an irresponsible statement. Growth indices are published only by the Government; it has never refuted charges on these grounds levelled by the Opposition.
The main objectives have flopped. Job and business losses in the urban and rural retail sectors are immense. Writing from an ivory tower will not cut ice. Deliberation and research on the secondary effect of demonetisation is useless. Higher tax compliance does not mean prosperity to the aam janta.
Amalendu Narayan De
Bengaluru
The writer has played safe. He has played with the figures and made inferences to make it appear as if the criticism about demonstisation is much ado about nothing. The situation can well be gauged by the realities on the ground. It was repeatedly stated by the BJP that by standing in queues for days together without a protest, the common man confirmed his support to Narendra Modi’s move. Did the common man have any other alternative? Fed up with corruption, inefficiency, policy paralysis in the UPA regime, the common man was carried away by the rhetoric of the Prime Minister and was led to believe that with demonetisation in place, achhe din were not far away. However his trust and confidence were belied and misplaced.
With the RBI itself taking one full year just to count the demonetised currency, how many years the I-T department will take to scrutinise the unaccounted for cash in banks is anyone’s guess. Do we have the infrastructure to take up this monumental job?. What is the supervisory mechanism to ensure that the culprits do not circumvent the system to escape the rule of law? The Government should have exhausted all the options inherent in the system to root out black money before resorting to a surgical strike like demonetisation.
V Subramanian
Chennai
Welcome step
The recent RBI circular directing banks to provide doorstep facilities to senior citizens above 70 years, is a welcome step. The facility is also available to disabled and infirm persons. It is also gratifying that cheque books with 25 leaves shall be supplied to senior citizens free of cost in a year and in person. This facility should be extended to all senior citizens defined under the Income Tax Act. It would be pertinent if senior citizens are exempted from maintaining minimum balance in their savings accounts and Aadhaar linking as their fingerprints are bound to change rapidly with age.
A Sathyanarayana
New Delhi
No to automation
This is with reference to ‘A case for robot tax’ by Venkatesh Ganesh (From the Viewsroom, November 13) . Automation leads to loss of jobs in all sectors. The current rate of unemployment is around 5.37 per cent in India and the disguised unemployment is high in the primary sector.
We forget Mahatma Gandhi’s words that India will thrive on production by the masses, not by mass production. If youth are not engaged properly and are replaced by automation and AI, our population will have more lumpen elements. We must frame a suitable strategy to avoid unnecessary automation.
G Veerakumaran
Thrissur, Kerala
Bruised buffaloes
There is truth in animal rights organisation PETA’s contention that Kambala buffaloes were beaten and terrorised. The Kambala season has begun in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts after a gap of a year as there was a temporary stay on the game. The State government has passed the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Ordinance 2017 and received the President’s nod for promulgating the ordinance. With video evidence produced by PETA revealing that the bovines were being beaten and their tails pulled, the authorities would do well to take another look at allowing the sport to go on.
N J Ravi Chander
Bengaluru
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