I am 17 and I am worried about the women in our country. According to the Constitution, we are equal to men, but women are still not treated properly. People have time to fight against the release of movies, but not for issues relating to women. Besides, the crime rate is still high. Instead of protecting women, people destroy theatres.

Indian women are beautiful and each culture has a different way of wearing the sari. Why should we fight about this? The literacy rate in Rajasthan is low and its poverty figures are high; it is also witness to honour killings. There are many suicides and crimes. Yet people are ready to waste their time and petrol to conduct rallies and burn pictures of actors. Surely the Karni Sena should be worrying about serious issues rather than the release of a film.

Myra

Email

Project Davos

Modi’s keynote speech at Davos put Modinomics as the ‘hottest item’ on the table at the WEF. But we cannot shut our eyes to the poverty that prevails. India has the largest concentration of impoverished citizens in the world. Rahul Gandhi’s question as to why 1 per cent of India’s population gets 73 per cent of its wealth is valid.

Platitudes and rhetorical flourishes like replacing ‘red tape’ with ‘red carpet’ do little to change the material circumstances. It was good that the PM spoke of the world being one family and India’s diversity despite his wont to polarise people on religious lines. His pitching for India as a land of “peace and prosperity” intended to attract more investment and create more jobs should persuade right-wing zealots to behave more responsibly.

G David Milton

Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

It was amusing to find Modi, who has displayed an aversion for speaking in Parliament and is tight-lipped when vigilante groups run amok, extolling the virtues of democracy and diversity. Hopefully the PM, who blames previous governments for the various ills afflicting the country, will give some credit to others for multiplying the GDP six times over the last two decades. The claims on inclusive growth are unlikely to be taken seriously by the audience at Davos as India ranks below even Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the Inclusive Development Index

Manohar Alembath

Kannur, Kerala

We must pay serious attention to IMF chief Christine Lagarde’s suggestion that along with speeding up the economic reform process, India must also focus on higher participation of women in economic activities. Her assessment that elevating women’s participation in the workforce to equal that of men can boost the Indian economy by 27 per cent is of great significance and import. Indian policymakers must pay serious heed to this and multiply their efforts to achieve the target set by the IMF chief.

Higher women’s participation will usher in double-digit GDP growth for a sustained period of many years, creating huge jobs and improving living standards while also alleviating problems such as gender inequality, poverty, malnutrition and illiteracy .

Mahendra B Jain

Belagavi, Karnataka

Lend with benefits

While P2P lending would ensure a relatively higher return for lenders and allow borrowers without access to banks a chance to avail themselves of the credit facility too, a sophisticated loan selection and bidding process needs to be established to ensure long-term viability of the concept. Peer-lending has a dimension of CSR to it but this should not come at the cost of the borrower's creditworthiness. Stringent vetting and loan documentation should be carried out by lenders before sanction, and the usage of funds should be monitored post-disbursal.

With P2P gaining market popularity, regulated lending norms must be enforced to increase confidence and awareness amongst market participants.

Girish Lalwani

Delhi

Forgotten hero

January 23 was Subhas Chandra Bose’s 121st birthday. Shouldn’t we celebrate the day as a national festival?

S Ayyana Goud

Gangavathi, Karnataka

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