The initiative by Delhi government to implement the odd- even rule is a positive step to counter air pollution, but there are other grounds on which the desired purpose would be defeated.
For instance some cars might travel more distance on a day and pollute the air to riskier levels. Therefore it is imperative that government has a distance slab combined with odd-even rule to achieve the desired result.
Cars that comply with the distance norms could be given a extra day on the road, thereby eliminating the need to buy two cars.
Chennai
Kirti Azad vs Feroze Gandhi
The late Haridas Mundhra of British India Corporation made a hefty contribution to the Congress Party before the 1957 general elections. In return, TT Krishnamachary, the then Finance Minister, instructed the state-owned Life Insurance Corporation to buy lots of Mundhra Company shares, whose price was falling by the day, to boost the share price, though the company was doing very badly.
The contribution to the Congress was a quid –pro-quo transaction. Feroze Gandhi, the son-in-law of Jawaharlal Nehru was Congress MP, raised the issue in the Lok Sabha, notwithstanding Nehru’s anger. Feroz Gandhi denounced the transaction as a corrupt one.
This led to the appointment of the Justice MC Chagla inquiry commission into the affair. Justice Chagla faulted Krishnamachary. The Minister had to resign from the Cabinet. Feroze Gandhi was not suspended from the Congress party for raising an issue of corruption in a Minister of his own party.
This incident is worth recalling in the context of BJP MP Kirti Azad’s suspension from the party.
TH Chowdary
Secunderabad
Smartness counts
It refers to “Smartness as the defining factor in 2016” (January 1). Indeed, technological revolution is happening at a brisk pace and only an organisation which can keep pace with it and align itself with the end consumer’s changing needs and requirements will remain in the race, irrespective of the size of the organisation.
With the ecosystem already there, 4G could change the internet applications scenario. The customer has never been a bigger king than today. Financial inclusion too can alter the landscape.
Bal Govind
Noida
It is remarkable that India has embraced digital disruption seamlessly in spite of known hurdles. It is a tradition-oriented society suspicious of new technologies. Its literacy rate may have gone up to 67 per cent but a large part of the educated class is not yet exposed to the use of computers, mostly in semi-urban and urban areas.
The new technology opens vistas for young minds to generate many simple but breakthrough ideas (such as e-commerce supplying vegetables and booking hotels from homes of end users), set up start-ups, develop into or merge with bigger enterprise, bring profits for them and jobs for others.
YG Chouksey
Pune
Parliament canteen
In deference to the criticism emanating from all quarters about the prices of food items being dead cheap in Parliament canteen, a committee has come out with the revised prices.
Even with the prices of eatables hiked – for example vegetable thali from ₹18 to ₹30; non-veg thali from ₹33 to ₹60; three-course meal ₹61 to ₹90 with idly sambar for ₹15; masala dosa for ₹15 – it still considered very cheap given the prevailing rates in hotels where the aam aadmi has to pay through their noses.
This will not make any deep hole in the pockets of framers of law. The several fold hike in the salary and perks of MPs is in pipeline, it may not affect them in any manner.
The privileged class is eligible for all subsidies and concessions under the sun and is expected to serve their constituencies and meet the aspirations of electorate. It may consider making a New Year resolution to allow the august House to function smoothly without creating a bedlam.
HP Murali
Bengaluru
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