Big hoax

This refers to ‘No jobs, no skills: What a sorry state’ by Rajani Sinha and Nitika Bawa (February 16). No doubt skill development of is one way of creating jobs but the number of jobs available is abysmally low. Whenever elections take place, candidates promise the sky but it is all a big hoax. Skill development will help secure jobs abroad. However, the exponential growth in population should be checked.

K Ashok Kumar

Kolkata

Delegate, don’t interfere

This is with reference to the editorial, ‘Sandwiched’ (February 16). Comparing the experiences of Sundar Pichai (Google) and Satya Nandella (Microsoft) with that of Vishal Sikka (Infosys), it appears that the founders of domestic companies are infatuated with their creations and do not want to give up their paternal role; in contrast, the founders of foreign-based companies select the persons carefully and do not interfere with their management. Is this why foreign-educated and foreign-working Indians find it difficult to deal with frequent interventions by Indian entitie? Moreover, the way Narayana Murthy’s been choosing top personnel is intriguing.

YG Chouksey

Pune

When talented professionals are appointed to transform business models, there are implications on all fronts, including the financial. The infusion of lateral potential on merit will definitely entail changed paradigms, judicious values, astute action sketch and performance matrix, and Infosys is no exception to this. Modification of business moves must come from within. The founders of Infosys must take a bite of the reality sandwich instead of sandwiching the organisation with their pressure on one side and the professional force of the board on the other.

B Rajasekaran

Bengaluru

The battle between Sikka and Murthy is more of an ideological fight. Unlike the Tata-Mistry case, where Tata enjoys the support of the board, Murthy does not. The drivers of the dispute may be similar but the board composition is different. Mistry was an insider whereas Murthy stepped down, trusted Sikka to run the company and is just a shareholder. To now say that the CEO is not running it the right way is less than fair.

R Narayanan

Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh

Banking sector reforms

This refers to ‘Big bank theory: Merger of SBI, associates cleared’ (February 16). While the move is welcome, the sporadic approach to financial sector reforms is not. The Financial Sector Reforms Committee had visualised a structure for the banking system with “three or four large banks that could become international in character; eight to ten banks with a network of branches throughout the country engaged in ‘universal banking’; local banks whose operation would be generally confined to a specific region and rural banks (including RRBs) whose operations would be confined to the rural areas and whose business would be predominantly engaged in financing of agriculture and allied activities”. This is an idea whose time has come.

MG Warrier

Mumbai

Eco-friendly

With reference to ‘The bad, bad economics of air pollution’ by Jinoy Jose P (The Cheat Sheet, February 15), the need of the hour is to expedite the manufacture of Bharat Stage 6 grade fuel (and the concomitant additions to automobiles) industrially implement and take carbon capture and storage to its logical conclusion, strengthen public transport, promote car-pooling, cycling, switch to non-oil and less-polluting alternatives like electric and CNG vehicles, etc.

The Gandhian economist JC Kumarappa once sought to enter Rashtrapati Bhavan in a bullock cart for a Planning Commission meeting. He was stopped at the gate. He subsequently raised the issue with Nehru sayinga bullock cart driver was as much a citizen as the Prime Minister and it was an insult to deny him the use of a public road. Today, a similar call is being given by cyclists and pedestrians.

CV Krishna Manoj

Hyderabad

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