Piyush Goyal’s proposal to extend soft loans to BPL families will add financial stress to these families. It would be wise on the part of government to collect a small amount as tax from the entire earning population, say, for instance, ₹5 per head, from the 120 crore population. All employers should deduct this amount. But the main problem is the existence of unorganised sectors.

Vikram Sundaramurthy

Chennai

The saving grace?

This refers to your edit, ‘Loosening the reins’ (May 9). As banks have become technologically oriented, they are able to offer services without adding new branches. When new generation private banks were permitted earlier, it was with an aim to bring in competition to enhance customer service; they also brought total computerisation. This has made PSBs adapt to technology and compete with new private banks. But where is the need to allow more banks now?

Our banks are small. To bring them to the size of global banks, it is suggested every now and then that they be merged. Then why should we add more small banks now? If someone or a corporate is interested in running a bank, why should they not be allowed to take over existing banks? The RBI must spell out the need for permitting more banks to operate.

S Kalyanasundaram

Email

Insects are smart

This refers to the BLink article, ‘Fly in the face of Bt cotton’ by Saurabh Yadav (May 7). GM companies concede that resistant strains to genetically modified cotton can emerge. The claim that pesticides need not be used in large quantities is misleading. They suggest switching to the second generation of GM products but give no assurance that resistance will not develop. It will only compel farmers to buy a costlier seed with the same problem after some time.

We must accept that insects are smart and they have been around for the last 500 million years. They are the most varied form of life after bacteria and they constitute the second largest species. It is not easy to outsmart them. Indian agricultural scientists have developed an abundance of hybrid cotton varieties appropriate to local conditions. There is demand from many countries for organic cotton. Indian cotton hybrids are the right choice for organic cultivation. The government — at the Centre and at the State level — should provide the right incentives and technical support to farmers to go for India hybrid cotton varieties.

HN Ramakrishna

Bengaluru

Red flag

The RBI governor’s warning not to fall prey to schools giving useless degrees is timely. It is imperative to give impetus to knowledge-based, practical degrees that help students get jobs. In their exuberance to get a centum in core subjects, students end up mugging up, whether or not they understand or assimilate what they’re studying. It is time the HRD ministry incorporates this point in its educational reforms.

HP Murali

Bengaluru

Very true

The article, ‘The spectre of jobless growth’ (May 9) by Sidharth Birla is a down-to-earth account. The slow and low growth of job creation has far-reaching repercussions on economic and social well-being. Economic growth is meaningless unless it results in higher per capita income and more employment. The low growth of absorption is mainly on account of the automation policies followed by the manufacturing sector and the mismatch between skills required and skills possessed.

Agriculture and allied sectors hold the promise of creating new jobs provided we promote high-tech and high value agriculture. Our agro and food processing industry has not kept pace with the growth in agricultural production. Accoding to a McKinsey study per capita food consumption is expected to increase from ₹9355 in 2012 to ₹15,731 in 2030, offering huge investment opportunities. The younger generation is not interested in agriculture because of the low returns and high risks. But with the right policy incentives and adoption of technological innovations we can attract the new generation to agribusiness.

Philip Sabu

Thrissur, Kerala

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