L E T T E R S    T O    T H E    E D I T O R

Working women not caught in any trap

Nirmal Sandhu’s article “Working women in a trap” (Aug 21) is a gross distortion of facts probably because of tubular vision. Today Indian women have come of age. They are not only walking shoulder to shoulder with the men but in the recent past they have gone a step ahead. 

If one looks around and scans society at large then we are sure to find that women are giving tough time to their male counterparts in skill, precision, efficiency, hard work, discipline and what not. You will find women like Sonia Gandhi, Sushma Swaraj, Lata Mangeshkar, Chanda Kochhar, Saina Nehwal, Nita Ambani, Aishwarya Rai, Ekta Kapoor, Kiran Majumdar Shaw, Shahnaz Husain, and hundreds of others who have brought glory to the nation. Can we call them as trapped ones?

In the present era, a working woman does not and should not work only for financial gains but for independence, status, and for the utilisation of her talent. In this era of equality, discrimination between the two sexes is no more acceptable. Why should we think that women are meant only for rearing children, cooking and cleaning?  

Dr S.M. BOSE, Chandigarh

Life of inmates

V.K.Kapoor’s middle, “The dark shades of life” (Aug 26), has painted a realistic and heart-rending picture of the inmates. Nobody is a born criminal, but circumstances coupled with deprivation makes one so. 

 The only answer to their woes lies in remorse and reposing faith in God. The lesson one draws from the middle is that one must exercise restraint even in the highly surcharged atmosphere to avoid impulsive actions leading to crime and punishment.

S.S.ARORA,  SAS Nagar

Gnawing gap

Our MPs have increased their salaries. Before Independence, politics was a service to the nation, but now it is a profession where self-interest takes precedence over national interest. Most MLAs and MPs are interested only in filling their pockets without caring for the “aam aadmi” who is under great financial stress due to inflation.

Our MPs and MLAs conveniently forget that the members of the Panchayati Raj Institutions are also in need of monthly wages and allowances similar to that drawn by MPs and MLAs. Sarpanches and panches do not get any wages and allowances, yet they are supposed to implement the poverty alleviation schemes. They also devote their time, finances and energy in the service of the rural masses. One fails to understand why no wages and allowances are paid to the panchayat members. For corruption-free implementation of rural development schemes, it is time that some wages and allowances are paid to themalso. 

Wg-Cdr. S S SAVANT (retd), Zirakpur

Compromise or climb down? One cannot but agree fully with the views of the editorial “N-Liability Bill: Welcome compromise between govt, Opposition”(Aug 26). Indeed, it would have been much better if the UPA government had taken the Opposition into confidence and considered the latter’s objections over the Nuclear Liability Bill objectively and open-mindedly. It was foolhardy to treat this Bill as an open and shut case.  The government tried every trick to avoid a full discussion on the Bill. From the very introduction of the Bill, it seemed that there was more than met the eye and that the government was trying to hide it. The UPA leadership appeared to be more concerned with a safe passage for suppliers of nuclear equipment, etc. than with the possible victims in the event of a nuclear accident.  But then, what is termed in the editorial as a ‘compromise’ between the BJP and the government is in fact a climbdown on the part of the latter. The government had to eat a humble pie. However, for the BJP and the Left’s united and unrelenting fight against the contentious provisions, the government would have bulldozed its way on this Bill in Parliament. Anyway all is well that ends well, more so when our national interest is involved. TARSEM SINGH, New Delhi