|
|
|
|
|
Action plan for farmers needed
The tragic cases of farmers and farm labourers committing suicides due to agrarian crises are heart-rending. The moot question is: how to pull the farmers out of the mess? The state government in cooperation with the Centre must prepare a substantial action plan. The small farmers should be helped with adequate subsidies, quality seeds, marketing facilities, free quality education, health services and all other possible facilities. Liberate them from all types of loans without any condition. Encourage agro-based industries. Help the youth to undertake alternative vocations. Supply of drugs should be checked with strong measures. Craze among the youth to go abroad should be psychologically tackled because it leads to heavy indebtedness. Cooperative farming should be encouraged. Help the farmers to tackle problems in a scientific manner. Establish agricultural welfare boards in each district. The state government must ensure that human and natural resources are best used for productive purposes only. On its part, the Centre must help the farmers by all means. Human life is very precious and it must be saved. SUDESH KUMAR SHARMA,
Kapurthala
II
Drug addiction causes loss of health, life and money, which otherwise could be used for productive purposes
(Punjab’s disgrace, May29). What is appalling is why the state government does not act against the drug traffickers and why drug addicts are not rehabilitated and sent to treatment centres. Punjab is suffering. The state government must acknowledge the medical, financial and social chaos created in the absence of an action plan. AJIT SINGH, Canada
|
|
|
Safe hard drinks This refers to the news item, “Soon, alcohol content in beverages to be regulated” (May 27). It is praiseworthy that India’s food regulator FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) has finalized a draft standard for all categories of alcoholic beverages like wine, beer, whisky, rum, gin and vodka to set the maximum permissible limits of alcohol in these drinks. These standards have been approved by the FSSAI scientific committee. This move from the FSSAI is being resisted by alcoholic beverage manufacturers on the pretext that it has no such power and the state government alone has the legislative competence to govern the manufacture of these products. It is pertinent to mention here that if FSSAI has no power in setting of safe content of alcohol plus grains and water in drinks, then the state governments must come forward with this type of move rather than earning revenue at the cost of public health. SANDEEP NAIN, Karnal Pandora’s box As expected, the report scripted by the three interlocutors, have suggested out of the box solutions. The job at hand of the interlocutors was akin to entering a dead-ended alley. The Hurriyat and the separatists, refused to make any contact with them though they are the first to call on Pakistani dignitaries visiting India. The interlocutors have sidetracked the Kashmiri Pandits, an unfortunate segment of Kashmir. The only silver lining in the script is the proposal for regional councils for Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh and Ladakh’s delinking from the Kashmir division. If acted upon the solutions suggested, it would open a Pandora’s box. There is scarcity of true leadership qualities in today’s polity. By the policy of appeasement and sops, the Government of India has made the Kashmiri Muslims a commodity apart. V I K SHARMA, Jalandhar Harming students Most of the private colleges in Punjab, including engineering, medical, law and education colleges, are simply out to make money without bothering about quality education. These colleges are looting the gullible people. It is the duty of the state government to close such shops. About 30,000 students pass out from 150 engineering colleges from these colleges every year and from these so-called temples of knowledge. Yet Punjab’s two power corporations are finding it hard to recruit 700 engineers due to lack of quality candidates. PSPCL managed to fill 75 seats only. 27,000 candidates appeared in a written test, of which only 403 achieved a cut-off of 50 per cent marks. The corporation has again advertised for these posts but without lowering selection criteria. Dr NARESH
RAJ, Patiala
|
|||
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
