NHAI cracks the whip

Apropos ‘NHAI to hold officials liable for any fatal road accidents’ (October 18), it is distressing to learn that around 1.55 lakh lives were lost in road crashes across India in 2021— an average of 426 daily or 18 every single hour. However, it was highly encouraging, too, to gather that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will henceforth hold officials liable for any fatal or serious accidents that occur as a result of poor road engineering works.

This apart, the NHAI will take a serious view in case of dereliction of duty by officials involved in the issuance of the provisional certificate in utter disregard of policy guidelines.

SK Gupta

New Delhi

Hunger pangs

Apropos ‘Scrawny data’ (October 18), India’s ranking in the Global Hunger Index is embarrassing to say the least. Neighbouring nations Pakistan and Afghanistan are better placed than us.

The government would do well to take a leaf out of what China is doing, as it ranked among the top five countries. An ostrich-like approach will not help us in providing basic nutrition to our children.

Bal Govind

Noida

Income inequality

While the methodology used for arriving at the huger index may be questioned, there is not denying the fact that a vast number of people are going hungry to bed. Whatever the government is doing is not enough. The rise in income inequality cannot be denied.

The government’s policies seem designed to favour the rich, while the poor are made to depend on handouts of the government.

Anthony Henriques

Mumbai

LSD compensation

Karnataka has reported several cases of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) and the data indicate death of 2,110 cattle. Although the pace at which viral disease spreads is arbitrary, transmission is imminent.

The State Government must initiate preventive vaccination measures on a war-footing to gain the confidence of small and medium dairy farmers before they are badly affected.

Merely announcing monetary compensation is no panacea, since dairying is the only means of revenue for a majority of farmers in view of unprecedented crop loss due to erratic rainfall which continues even after the monsoon season.

Rajiv Magal

Halekere Village, Karnataka

Regulating Bigtechs

This refers to ‘Bigtech in fin services poses many threats’ (October 18). Usually, by the time the government and regulators wake up and put in place the necessary regulations, the damage is already done.

For instance, India is still in the process of creating a Data Protection Law, which should have been in place long back.

There is an urgent need to have in-house innovation and technology centres that quickly adapt the latest developments in technologies and help formulate mechanisms that would regulate the Bigtechs effectively.

Bigtech is here to stay and grow bigger and it is for the government to ensure that their global size and reach will not overwhelm the banking system and destabilise it at some point of time due to reasons beyond the control of financial institutions.

Though unrelated, the Tsunami created by the collapse of a Lehman Brothers with worldwide ramifications should not be forgotten and should be treated as an example for every sector.

Kosaraju Chandramouli

Hyderabad