Aircel-Maxis case

This refers to ‘Aircel-Maxis deal case: CBI names Chidambaram, son in charge-sheet’ (July 20). The CBI charging the former finance minister P Chidambaram, along with his son Karti and 10 others, with conspiracy, graft and cheating in the controversial Aircel-Maxis deal is set to escalate the confrontation between the BJP and the Congress in the run-up to the 2019 Parliament election.

The wrongdoers, however powerful and influential they might be, have to face the music and P Chidambaram is no exception. As finance minister he was empowered to give approval only up to ₹600 crore. Had ₹3,200 crore been mentioned in the FIBP proposal, the file would have bypassed him and directly gone to the CCEA. If the charges are proved, Chidambaram could face a maximum jail term of seven years. Chidambaram would obviously term the case as ‘vendetta’ politics and fight it with a battery of lawyers.

This refers to ‘Poverty in the 6th richest economy’ (July 20). India, with its enormous human-resources, is well capable of scaling up in the rankings of world’s largest economies. But what is the point in merely improving the ranks without a correlated improvement in the lives of the people. It is clear that there is a wide gap between what India has achieved/attained economically and in the way it (fruits of economic growth) has transformed livelihoods of the downtrodden.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, CMD of Biocon, in a college convocation ceremony recently, pointed out that India can’t aspire for economic greatness as long as it remains home to one-fourth of the world’s poor and more than one-third of all malnourished children. Economic achievements and social improvements ought to be complementary to each other and go hand-in-hand. To gauge real growth, there must be an index composite of economic as well as social indicators. Looking at the numbers (India’s ranks in ‘ease of doing business’ and economic growth), it can be presumed that India is only growing superficially. A pragmatic leader — mindful of difficulties faced by the people and capable of solving them without yielding to pressures — is what India needs.

Cuddalore, TN

The BJP-led NDA government’s move to amend the Right to Information Act 2005 (RTI), which empowers citizens of the country to seek any information from state authorities on the payment of ₹10 and ensuring transparency and accountability in governance, is retrograde.

The proposed amendment aimed at providing power to the Centre to fix tenures and salaries for the Central and State Information Commissioners, which are presently statutorily protected, tantamounts to severly compromising their independent functioning, which, in any case, militates against the very spirit and mandate of the RTI Act.

At present, they have a fixed tenure of five years and receive salaries equivalent to the Election Commissioners of India. Apprehensions expressed by the civil rights activists and the Opposition over the proposed amendments to the RTI Act and its likely negative fallout on the independence and autonomy of the Information Commissioners and the very institution itself are genuine and the Centre cannot turn a blind eye to it. Any attempt to weaken institutions like the CIC should not be allowed to succeed.

Sholavandan, TN

It is a matter of common knowledge that the health of public sector banks (PSB) has deteriorated considerably on account of an abnormal rise in non-performing loans. Injecting capital into banks, hiving of NPLs to ARCs, and merger of banks are important but not the only solutions to improve the health of banks. The crux of the problem is that PSBs have always been subject to too much interference by the government, and undue political influence has created an undesirable climate. PSBs need greater functional autonomy.

Nagpur

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