White elephant

This refers to ‘Don’t waste time trying to revive AI’ (June 9). Niti Aayog has made a welcome recommendation to privatise Air India, more so when AI has huge debt on its balance sheet and merger between Indian Airlines and Air India has not fetched the desired results. It is inevitable for the government to exit the airlines business. It cannot be allowed to bleed on the Exchequer’s money.

Bal Govind

Noida

RBI justified

This refers to the editorial ‘Overly cautious’ (June 8). It was reasonable for RBI to maintain pause over monetary parameters, as inflationary pressure in the coming months cannot be underestimated. The reasons are: one, agricultural loan waiver by UP government and similar preparation by MP and Maharashtra; and two, implementation of GST from July 1 is likely to trigger inflation in the initial phase of its implementation despite anti-profiteering laws.

Assertion of autonomy by RBI after slippage due to demonetisation is also reasonable to regain its lost ground. In any case banks are flooded with cash in absence of credit offtake given the uncertain domestic economic scenario, deep structural problems and twin balance sheet problem. Any cut in the repo rate may not motivate private investment unless the problem of NPA is resolved.

Trupti Goyal

Email

Farmers’ plight and protest

The attribution of the outbreak of massive farmer protests to instigation by the Congress does not stand up to scrutiny. It is an insult to the ordinary, decent, hard-working farmers now in the throes of an existential crisis and on a war path. A few stray incidents of involvement by a few local Congress leaders in the protests are blown out of all proportion by sections of the media to apportion blame on the Congress and shield the BJP.

With the cost production including seeds, fertilisers and pesticides decided by rapacious corporate behemoths, agriculture has now become an occupation bereft of economic viability. Sadly, there is not as much focus on the producer as on the production. Farmers live in utter misery and a farmer’s average monthly income is put at as less as ₹1,600. Still the decision-makers betray a lamentable lack of empathy for them.

Loan waiver, assured basic income, minimum support price (MSP) at input cost plus 50 per cent, insurance to all crops, mechanism to withstand slumps in prices, pension to old farmers, distribution of surplus government land to landless farmers and a halt to diversion of agriculture land to corporate sector are among the possible remedies to the agrarian crisis. A special session of the Parliament should be convened to decide on steps to tackle the agrarian crisis and stem the tide of farmer suicides. It can have no business more important than alleviating farm distress.

G David Milton

Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

Not a good sign

According to the Annual Survey of Industries done by the Central Statistical Organisation, the capital intensity of the Indian industrial structure is increasing and the employment of labourers is falling. This is not a good sign of progress. India enjoys a huge demographic dividend. Hence, it is imperative that Indian Industries make their organisations more labour-intensive than capital-intensive. Needless to say, labourers must be disciplined and be paid according to the nature of work and productivity.

S Ramakrishnasayee

Ranipet

Opposition in disarray

This is with reference to the concluding paragraph in “Three years of promises kept and violated” (June 9) by NV Krishnakumar. The Opposition parties have been crying hoarse about the breach of promises made by Narendra Modi during his election speeches.

However, they have not declared who would be their leader, who can rival Modi with a more compelling vision for India. The Congress is gripped by death wish and regional party leaders have a narrow focus. Opposition parties have not shared a common agenda, which is potentially superior to that of the ruling coalition.

YG Chouksey

Pune

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