Aircraft manufacture

For manufacturing a commercial passenger aircraft in India, we are four decades behind established players. Add to this the feverish pace of technology growth in its every aspect. To attain highest standards of safety and fuel efficiency, even as costs need to be optimised, we need to have the wherewithal in research and testing. None of these is transferable from other players.

Capital costs are enormous and the gestation period for attaining scale for profits and to plough back for growing demand for infra, is very high. It takes close to $25-30 billion to develop just one new commercial version.

The industry is dependent on just three major engine manufacturers. Demand for them is growing exponentially. And yet, new entrants have been struggling to establish even a modest market.

R Narayanan

Navi Mumbai

BJP manifesto

Apropos the editorial ‘Staying the course’ (April 16), the BJP manifesto looks attractive and doable. In the last two terms of the NDA, there is no denying the fact that road and rail infra witnessed remarkable improvements. Digital technology has reached even rural areas, and has helped in improving businesses. The progress on the renewable energy front has been noteworthy.

However, there are murmurs on the failure of the NDA in addressing the chronic unemployment problem. There is no mention in the manifesto on filling the vacancies at government offices and creation of more jobs to meet the aspirations of the lower middle class job seekers. The manifesto is also silent on the welfare measures for senior citizens whose number is increasing year by year.

RV Baskaran

Chennai

Monsoon effect

This has reference to ‘IMD predicts above-normal monsoon’ (April 16). The estimated rainfall augurs well for economic activity and sectors like automobiles, whose fortunes depend on the performance of agriculture. However, much depends on the geographical spread of the monsoon. In spite of good monsoon, some areas may be hit by drought. Rainwater flowing through rivers should be stored and canalised for agriculture and not for drinking water and other needs of cities. By de-silting and deepening of existing reservoirs around cities and doing water harvesting more vigorously, the urban requirements can be taken care of to a major extent.

M Raghuraman

Mumbai

PET recycling

‘RSWM recycles PET bottles to produce polyester yarn’ (April 16) is a welcome step to mitigate plastic pollution, which is increasing on a daily basis. However, in addition to recycling of PET bottles, which are not single-use plastics, priority must be given to recycling single-use plastics that are strewn all over and get buried deep into the soil. Since civic authorities have failed to contain unscientific disposal of single-use plastics, the only way is to get rid of such hazardous material is through technological innovations, as civic sense is at its nadir.

Rajiv Magal

Halekere Village, Karnataka

Digital tech

This is with reference to ‘90% of companies plan to boost investments in key digital tech areas in 2024: Nasscom report’, (April 16, 2024). The landscape of digital transformation is broadening, with digital spending proving resilient in the face of economic headwinds. AI has shot to the top of the executive agenda. GenAI has ushered in a new world of business opportunities and executives are eager to capitalise on them. Maximising GenAI’s potential is essential to boost productivity.

P Sundara Pandian

Virudhunagar, TN