Dangers from insurance privatisation

  EVERY country in the world has its set policy and rules to promote its international trade by attracting import of foreign currency through a process of increasing exports. But there is an important exception to this process of encouraging exports, and that is where life insurance is concerned. If this sector is thrown open to foreign companies, their every effort will be directed to increasing the export of Indian currency in the shape of their share of profit, much to the detriment of our nation. In the field of life insurance, every country will be keen to have more and more import of foreign currencies.

In what manner will it be able to build up a huge capital base to satisfy our infrastructure requirements? Will foreign insurance companies bring sizeable life insurance business from outside India? In what manner will these companies make their investments in our country? In life insurance business it is only the currency which can be imported or exported.

If the idea behind privatisation is to create healthy competition regarding the choice of products and prompt and efficient service, this can be achieved by splitting the LIC into five regional corporations for east, west, north, south and central India. These five units can easily compete with one another. The problem of the LIC being a monolithic insurer in India can be easily handled by the Insurance Regulatory Authority by creating five independent regional corporations to work on healthy business lines.

B. L. BANSAL
Chandigarh

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Ragging must go

The report that the Assam government has enacted a law whereby ragging in educational institutions has been made a criminal offence is a welcome development. The punishment provided is imprisonment upto six months and a fine upto Rs 10,000 (or both), and expulsion for one academic session.

In fact, considering the absolutely shocking proportions this accursed ragging has assumed in most of our institutions, it is essential that such legislation should be extended to cover the entire country with the provision for even more stringent punishment. Cases of degrading and inhuman humiliation as well as serious physical injury and even death continue to be reported. Only the strongest measures have any chance of overcoming the rampant evil of ragging. And it need scarcely be added that whatever legislation, it will help only if it is implemented with the utmost strictness, and is not allowed to remain just a paper tiger.

Apart from appropriate legislation, another measure seems essential. The teachers and the other staff of the institutions, especially the hostels, should maintain constant vigil on the premises under their charge through surprise rounds, and try to ensure that ragging does not take place there. If it does, the culprits should be apprehended and brought to book speedily. Indeed, such close supervision should be made the direct responsibility of the staff, and that is certain to help greatly.

One more point. Occasionally, some people still talk of the “benefits” of ragging, for instance, by way of introducing the freshers to the seniors. That might possibly have been correct in much earlier times, but today brutal uncivilised ragging has crossed all limits and caused untold harm to thousands of students. We cannot afford to countenance ragging of any variety, and our objective must be to cut it out root and branch.

SAROOP KRISHEN
Chandigarh

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Price rise & the BJP

In my opinion the BJP faired badly in the Assembly elections mainly because of the price rise, and not for any other reason. The price rise effected the lower and middle classes.

The public has forgotten the corruption cases and the scandal raj of the previous governments. Under the circumstances corruption suits everybody — employees, politicians, the business community, farmers, etc. Everyone is ready to drive his pound of flesh.

(Dr) R. S. PANNU
Amritsar

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Unfair PSU scheme

The news-item that appeared on December 11 in the Business Tribune section under the heading “New VRS scheme for sick PSUs” has shocked me immensely. Again innocent employees may be exploited and deprived of their dues.

The government must ensure the payment of the long-pending dues of the retired employees under the scheme. Otherwise the introduction of such schemes will be a cruel joke. Moreover, if such schemes are to be introduced repeatedly, the dues of the relieving employees must be paid the same day.

O. P. WALIA
Panchkula

Unethical practice

Pharmaceutical manufacturers and doctors should not try to reach the general public through newspapers, television, etc. It is unjustified, unethical and even illegal.

Drugs have become part and parcel of our life. We enter this world with the aid of drugs, and these drugs assist us to depart with minimal distress and perhaps even with a remnant of dignity. In between these two events — life and death — we regulate our fertility, often with drugs. This aspect is being exploited by pharmaceutical manufacturers these days in order to mint money. They give advertisements in the newspapers, television programmes, etc, regarding even those allopathic medicines which are not available over the counter. In such advertisements the manufacturers do not mention the side-effects and adverse effects of their preparations. People should not use these medicines on the basis of such advertisements as they can do more harm to them, and this harm may be life-destroying sometimes. Doctors should not prescribe such trade names in their routine practice.

Doctors should also keep in mind that soliciting patients, directly or indirectly, by a physician or by an institution is absolutely unethical. A physician should not aid or permit others to use him for advertising purposes. However, a medical practitioner is permitted to have a formal announcement in the Press regarding the starting of his practice or the changing of his place of practice or resumption of his practice after absence from duty. Any advertisement in the Press with the purpose of reaching the general public for vested interests is against the code of medical ethics.

(Dr) AJAY BAGGA
Hoshiarpur