Digital ecosystem

Apropos ‘Crowd strike, indeed’ (July 22), we are used to small outages here and there but not something of the magnitude which affected banks, aviation, media outlets and other businesses severely for hours. It is clear that Microsoft could not detect the bug but it is good that there was no report of data breach as such from anywhere. But since the world is dependent on these giant companies remotely managing millions of devices to boost economic activity, such cyber attacks are a strong wakeup call for them to keep their house in order. Mac and Linux hosts remained unaffected but they also face potential risks and efforts should be made to minimise them.

Bal Govind

Noida

Revisit ITR filing regime

Social media is currently rife with reports on deep rooted disenchantment of various stakeholders owing to the abrupt failure of the income tax portal to deliver, even as the last date of filing the ITRs by individuals (July 31) is fast approaching. Also, why can’t the government do away with the mandatory filing of ITRs by July 31 each year and make it an ‘ongoing’ process till March 31 of the following financial year — that is, till the end of the relevant assessment year. Since the government of the day so proudly talks about ‘Ease of doing business’, let it also facilitate ‘Ease of filing ITRs’ by all concerned.

SK Gupta

New Delhi

Longer working hours

When the rest of the Western democracies are reducing working hours, here in India there is a proposal to make employees in the IT sector work for 14 hours in Karnataka. If one considers the travelling time in urban centres of India, an employee would be going home just to sleep. Long working hours are bound to affect the health of employees. And who benefits by this move? In the industrial sector workers are paid double if they are made to work more than the stipulated eight hours. Lack of jobs makes the IT employees vulnerable to this kind of pressure exerted by the companies.

Anthony Henriques

Mumbai

FM’s good innings

This refers to ‘Why some FMs go on and on’ (July 22). Nirmala Sitharaman’s upcoming presentation of her Budget for a record sixth time underscores her adeptness at navigating today’s power politics. Sitharaman’s skill in managing relationships with various stakeholders, including political colleagues, bureaucrats, and top corporate leaders, as well as understanding the Prime Minister’s priorities, ensures her longevity as Finance Minister. Given the BJP’s lack of majority in the current NDA structure, her ability to meet the financial demands of coalition partners will be crucial in determining whether she can sustain her position at the highest level.

Srinivasan Velamur

Chennai