It is an excellent initiative by HYSEA to utilise public transport and reduce emission levels, and also start a movement to ease traffic congestion. IT companies could reward their employees if they join car pools and further reduce traffic woes which have become a nightmare for commuters in Hyderabad. Volunteer groups could highlight the slow progress of road widening on the old Bombay highway which is causing most of these hardships. Synchronising traffic signals would be another positive move.
G Raviprasad
Vested interest
This refers to the report, ‘India slips in UN’s broadband penetration ranking’ (September 22). States like Delhi and Kerala or cities like Chennai, Kolkata and Bengaluru have populations higher than some of the countries ranked above India. Like purchase power parity which has now been recognised as a tool for comparison of GDP, while making comparisons relating to development or economic progress, there is a case for factoring in population parity and geographical area parity.
While UN or international rating agencies may not be able to make country-specific assessments, there should be some agency in India to tell us that the rankings by international agencies are guided by the prescriptions from rich and developed nations which have a vested interest in showing developing nations in poor light, and the real picture is different.
MG Warrier
Mumbai
Apples are not oranges
I fully endorse the views expressed in the response letter ‘Disadvantage, PSBs’ (September 22) in response to the report, ‘PSU banks lose ground in low cost deposits’ (September 21) by Radhika Merwin. As a retired PSB executive, I feel no comparison should be made between PSBs and private sector banks. While the purpose of the former is to serve people all over India, most of them neither literate nor tech savvy, private banks are profit-centric.
While the brick and mortar branch network, functioning primarily through a human workforce, was the base for PSBs, most large-scale private banks came into being through a technology network, entailing large operational urban reach and cost efficiency. Adding fuel to fire is the majority stake of the government, unable to distinguish between management and ownership.
Financial market analysts and the press should consciously refrain from comparing the two sectors. It is both improper and inappropriate. Having opened up the field for the private sector in an aggressive manner, with only a few more PSBs set up now, it is obvious that the share of PSBs will recede.
RS Raghavan
Bengaluru
Creative cropping
With reference to ‘Root cause of inaction in fertiliser reforms’ by Uttam Gupta (September 22), it is not only through higher MRP for urea alone that government can address the nutrient imbalances in farming. Increased use of organic manure and crop rotation too can effectively reduced the use of industrial urea. Urea is primarily used to provide free nitrogen to plants.
Most plants are unable to fix atmospheric nitrogen for use. Therefore, it is provided through urea that is readily absorbed through the roots. However, rotating the crop with leguminous crop that can fix atmospheric nitrogen would reduce the need for industrial urea. This should be coupled with increased use of bio-fertiliser made in the field using organic waste and animal dung. Carried out effectively, this method can increase farm output and reduce subsidy expenditure.
Pritesh Agrawal
Kolkata
Review reservation policy
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s call for a review of the reservation policy, and suggestion to set up of an apolitical committee to examine who needs the facility and for how long, makes sense. If after 65 years these categories still need reservation, and after 25 years of OBC reservation regime no backward cast has come in the forward category, there is a strong case for review of the existing policy.
MC Joshi
Lucknow
The genome conundrum
This refers to the interview with Shiva Ayyadurai and others by Vishwanath Kulkarni (September 22). When a crop’s genome is changed, you are sure to get toxins which need to be tested for an extensive period before commercial production starts. But as the interview points out safety assessments in the case of GMOs are non-existent because the regulators never asked for any tests to be performed in the US. But in Europe they have a system by which you must give data which proves that GMOs are safe for human consumption and then they give you access to their markets. In Europe no data, no access to markets. Genome is a complicated information system. Before a change is enacted they are tested innumerable number of times because complicated information systems are not in the control of the people who created them. But somehow companies say that GMOs are safe even without testing them.
CR Arun
Absolutely right
Your editorial, ‘Beyond rate cuts’ (September 22) hit the nail on the head. The acceleration of reforms in vital segments including infrastructure will only translate the growth of GDP into benefits for the people, increasing their real income utilising the impact of increased investment both domestic and overseas on these platforms. The Centre’s interference in the affairs of the RBI will weaken its structural framework making it a paper tiger. Rajan’s views and references do strongly point out that the Centre is still found wanting as regards commitment to reforms and changes in economic policy. The callous attitude of the policymakers reminds us of the poor governance Argentina had. Unless the Centre reinvigorates the fundamentally essential reforms, its jargonistic programmes will not see the required light of development.
B Rajasekaran
Bengaluru
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Send your letters by email to bleditor@thehindu.co.in or by post to ‘Letters to the Editor’, The Hindu Business Line, Kasturi Buildings, 859-860, Anna Salai, Chennai 600002.