I read with interest the news report “Tea output may wilt 10% on NE dry spell” (April 29). Instead of the blaming Nature for all the ills faced by the agricultural community at large, why not think on the lines of using available water through drip irrigation?

Such small growers can also come together to deploy statistical tools to infuse the right nutrients in the most absorbable form, with effective methodologies.

With the tea and coffee sectors not in a robust state of health, and with plantation firms at risk of being snapped up by bigger companies, the time is right to think on these lines.

Players in the sector must act fast before the market witnesses a deficit situation and prices go out of the reach of the common man. Competitors in the beverage market, including soft drink majors may be waiting for such a scenario but it is not good for the aam aadmi , for whom a roadside chai may be the most affordable refresher.

Lakshmanan N

e-mail

Project exports

It is in the national interest if the “Exim Bank were to focus more on assisting project exports” (April 30), which was the original purpose of setting up the bank. With commercial banks in the public and private sectors being active in financing international trade, Exim Bank too should encourage Indian manufacturers and construction companies to undertake projects abroad because pf the considerable long-term benefits of exporting capital equipment and project expertise.

As a development finance institution, Exim Bank should ensure development of such projects in less developed countries by bringing together foreign and domestic companies engaged in project exports.

The bank should function as a focal point for such inter-institutional interaction by activating a mechanism for participation by prospective project exporters and their associate organisations. The bank should intensify its project-orientation approach in its financing and development work.

KU Mada

Online

Managerial power games

This refers to “Power play at work” (April 30). Also important is the power of versatility — broad knowledge that goes beyond one’s field of expertise. This raises the status of an individual far above his/her official position. The reputation of being ‘a walking Encyclopedia’ makes one highly valued in the organisation.

YG Chouksey

Pune

Railway reforms

“Putting the Railways back on track” (April 30) gives a list of areas for the next Railway Minister to tackle. The practice of paying dividend to the Consolidated Fund should be stopped for a decade so that adequate resources are made available to the Railways. Without the Railways pricing all its services meaningfully and reasonably, railway development cannot take place.

A recent editorial in a Tamil daily lauds the government for bringing Itanagar on the Indian Rail map. Why should Vivek Express take as many as 87 hours from Dibrugarh to Kanyakumari? China is envisaging a rail connection from Ho Chi Min City in Vietnam to Kunming. A Burmese writer envisions a branch running up to Kolkata. In a better era, where China gives up its claims on our Arunachal Pradesh and settles all pending border issues, we can start a rail service from Kolkata to Kunming. This will not only brighten up India China trade but will ensure a golden era for the North-Eastern region with Kolkata and Guwahati as its bases.

S Subramanyan

Mumbai

Basics, first

The availability of berths, punctuality of trains, cleanliness and safety are the most basic objectives for any railway to achieve if it wants to be people-oriented. If these things are achieved, other development will definitely follow. Rapid change is the norm in today’s globalised world. This should be reflected in the mindset of the railway governing body as well. The systems of quota and subsidy must be quashed for any real financial stability and growth to ensue.

Sunil Kumar

Online

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