GST is seen as the greatest economic reform after Independence. With the GST Council finalising 4-tier GST rates, another major hurdle in its implementation has been crossed. Zero tax on foodgrain and on about half of the other items which make the base for calculation of CPI will check inflation, while transferring a number of items now used by the lower middle class from the 28 per cent category to the 18 per cent category will provide relief. However, any increase in service tax will be painful. Services need to be made cheaper.
MC Joshi
Make it transparent
With reference to ‘Close to 50% people see no reduction in corruption: survey’ (November 4), what the Government needs to survey is where corruption is possible. For instance, when a foreign company sends equipment, the first payment is 80 per cent and the balance 20 per cent is released after full approval and a satisfactory performance report, which is in the hands of the government department.
The date on which the equipment is begun to be used has to be decided on by the user; then come the approval agencies who have to inspect the equipment and prepare the report. It is left to their discretion as to what type of report they prepare. This report is sent to another government department which forwards it to another officer who then sends it to a senior officer.
If the Government were only to look into how these departments function and bring in a more transparent policy, it would be helpful to the suppliers.
Amar Bhasin
Sydney, Australia
OROP imbroglio
Those demanding OROP are selfish. They should reflect on the lives of the less fortunate. Grewal, who took his life over OROP, was drawing a pension at an age (69) where most do not survive or they suffer at the hands of their families. Most of the salaried class in the private sector and those in the unorganised sector are not even entitled to superannuation and benefits. The less said the better about the hand-to-mouth existence of daily wage-earners.
R Prabhu Raj
Bengaluru
Since the OROP controversy was hardly an “issue” for either the Congress or the AAP, they are hypocritical in making political capital of the suicide. The Modi sarkar has taken a battering, but does that mean the soldier gets his due?
KS Jayatheertha
Bengaluru
Tata, Tatas
In the midst of the ongoing war of words between the Tatas and Cyrus Mistry, many top executives have decided to air their views, right or wrong. What use will this post-mortem be to the investors? As one who has subscribed to anything that carried the Tata logo and who has suffered primarily due to the indifference of the staff and officials at various levels, I feel the administration has failed in carrying out its duties.
I was a shareholder of Tata Vashisti. Despite holding proof of delivery, the company denied having received the documents sent to them and harassed me for months. I met with the same fate at Tata Communications, which did not have the basic courtesy to respond to and activate my email id when I had and continue to have sufficient balance to my credit. The last bitter experience was with Tata Photon, where again I was taken for a ride by the company with no one responding to the connection I had subscribed for. My only consolation was that they eventually apologised for the inconvenience.
MS Vaidyanathan
Goodbye, democracy?
Growing intolerance against dissent, efforts to choke elements of media considered “not friendly” to the establishment, the shooting down in MP of 8 undertrials who were suspected SIMI members, the needless controversy created around the suicide of an ex-serviceman on whether he was a martyr… All this over barely three days. These are reminders that the days of the Emergency are knocking at our doors again. It’s time the media spoke up in one voice to protect democracy in India.
N Narasimha