With reference to the editorial, ‘Use your noodle’ (July 6), yes, the ‘Make in India’ campaign goes for a toss when the products which are made for and in India are not up to the mark. We have substandard bottled water, milk, ice cream, adulteration in milk, colour mixed in fruit, watermelons given sweetening injections and mangos being artificially ripened… Yet it is strange that while Maggi is accepted worldwide, we have banned the product in India!
The rules around adulteration in food and listing the prescribed ingredients are still relaxed in India. Why? Why are such culprits on the loose? Why aren’t such markets raided? Why are innocent people held to random but greedy vendors let off? From the time a product is packed and shipped why do we have so many middlemen for distribution and why is there a time lag between distribution and final delivery? The window between delivery and unloading of trucks gives opportunities for people to tamper with the goods. It is a myth that the higher the price the better the quality. We need better food inspection and also vigilance; from farms to markets we need monitoring and patrolling.
Selfish Germany
The Greek referendum results are very clear. Even now the crisis can be solved if Germany wakes up to the reality that Greece is a sovereign country and the voice of the people of Greece needs to be heard. The troika’s economic plans for Greece for the past five years were a disaster to say the least. If the Greeks had said yes, the same old policies would have continued with more disaster and more suffering. Germany wants its economic ideology to be implemented everywhere in Europe and it has a lot of takers in Europe and with that ideology they have achieved unemployment of 23 per cent average even in countries which don't have any debt problems like the Netherlands.
It is clear the economic elite doesn’t care about the suffering of people and are bothered only about their own economic ideology. It seems as though Greece, which gave democracy to the world, got independence only yesterday after the referendum
CR Arun
Remuneration policy
This is with reference to ‘Pay divide: honchos leave the rest far behind’ (July 6). One wonders whether HR managers are guided by any national or rational policy in regard to wages, pay and remuneration which can be generally classified as compensation for work done, across sectors and ownerships. Immediately after Independence, when the President’s salary was fixed at ₹10,000 a month, there was a ratio of 1:10 for minimum and maximum salaries; even top level private sector compensations did not exceed the President’s salary in many cases.
Whether in public or private sector, there is a need to differentiate share in revenues or profit of the department or organisation from compensation for work done. The tax system also should differentiate these two streams of incomes. While the former should be part of incentives for entrepreneurship or extra work, the latter should be commensurate with the quantum and quality of work done. At the minimum, remuneration should take care of sustenance and a component for saving for post-job life, and at the maximum it should reckon skills, career progression and incentive for competition and involvement. Now that there is enough confusion on wage-related issues, including pension, this may be the opportune time for the Centre to think of setting up a national level commission of experts to prepare guidelines on wages and income. Such a document could form the basis for future wage decisions.
MG Warrier
Mumbai
Regulatory umbrella
With many scams being unearthed particularly in the financial sector, it is not too late to introduce an umbrella Act covering the regulatory aspects of various Acts that are sensitive to finance. Just like auditing auditors, regulators on financial activities should be under a Regulatory Compliance Act.
RS Raghavan
Bengaluru
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