Tightening loan write-offs
Apropos ‘Loan write-offs by banks dip 27% in 5 years’ (August 5). Banks have shown remarkable progress in reducing loan write-offs to around 27 per cent compared to that in FY20. Reduction in write-offs, transferring stressed assets to ARCs, following up of court filed cases by executing decrees wherever obtained, taking up recovery steps under SARFAESI Act, referring cases to NCLT, etc., make available funds to banks for further viable lending. At the same time, banks unfortunately are not showing much interest in recovery of written-off accounts. Banks should go ahead and accept ‘out of court settlements’ wherever possible because there is no point in hanging on to decades of court litigations involving huge sums of monies towards legal expenses/procedures, etc.
Katuru Durga Pasad Rao
Hyderabad
Augmenting Rlys’ revenue
This refers to ‘Railways: Pulling in less freight’ (August 5). Augmenting revenue is a major challenge for the Railways. Despite liberal budgetary support, the total revenues from freight and passenger segments are just sufficient to keep the Railways on track. The year-on-year growth in respect of freight earnings is increasing but not at the anticipated level. Container movement along the coastal and harbour route is a potential sector which the Railways needs to capitalise on. The last revision in suburban ticket tariff was done in 2013, more than a decade back, which can be reviewed considering the ever increasing operating cost and the heavy budgetary support provided to the Railways.
RV Baskaran
Chennai
Surge in vegetable prices
Apropos the editorial ‘Changing winds’ (August 5), the surge in the prices of vegetables is a consequence of frequent adverse weather changes and also due to the persisting interruption in the supply chain. The surge in vegetable prices is not because of any other economic factors and, as such, has nothing to do with the price of capital.
VSK Pillai
Changanacherry, Kerala
Tackling climate change
This is with reference to ‘Saving our forests is more crucial now than ever’ (August 5). The Wayanad landslide has proved how vulnerable we are to nature’s fury. Reckless urbanisation without adhering to norms, cutting down of forests, indiscriminate use of plastics, and rampant industrialisation have played havoc with nature, resulting in climate change.
People should be made aware that one of the ways to protect our planet is to understand that climate, biodiversity and human life are interlinked, and hence protecting and taking care of each of these are vital for the survival of human life and reducing nature’s fury. On the part of the government, strict rules should be framed against carbon emissions by industrial units, fines should be imposed for reckless use of plastic items and also for water and electricity wastage.
Every problem has a solution if our politicians go beyond politics and adopt a scientific approach. All this needs iron will, and the government needs to walk the extra mile.
Veena Shenoy
Thane
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