Prices: facts speak for themselves

  I BEG to differ with the view of Mr Kushabhau Thakre, President of the BJP, who says that previous (Congress) governments were responsible for the rise in the prices of essential commodities today as they neglected the agricultural sector.

It is a well-known fact that it was during Congress rule that India witnessed the Green Revolution, resulting in self-sufficiency not only in foodgrains but also edible oils. The country also became a foodgrains exporter.

India’s foodgrains production in 1995 was of the order of 199 million tonnes, crossing the targeted figure. The Congress governments had raised agricultural production from 54 million tonnes at the start of the First Plan in 1950 to many times more in 1995-96.

India became a significant sugar and fruit exporter during Congress rule. Milk production soared to 65 million tonnes, making India the world’s largest milk producer after the USA. The introduction of the sprinkler and drip irrigation systems was done by the Congress governments.

Thus, instead of blaming the previous governments for anything that goes wrong in the country today, BJP leaders should try to set their own house in order. They must know that only middlemen are happy. Soaring prices are transferring the hard-earned money of the common man into the pockets of hoarders.

(Dr) NARESH RAJ
Patiala

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Defending the indefensible

I read and re-read with interest Mr Anand Prakash’s rejoinder, “Prices: why blame the BJP?” (Editor’s Mail”, Nov 19), to your pertinent editorial, “BJP: blaming others won’t do” (Nov 12).

Well, to my mind, Mr Prakash’s rebuttal of the point of points — sky-rocketing prices of almost every necessity of life — adumbrated in the well-argued editorial lacks “convincibility”. The rejoinder, at best, is a brave bid to defend the indefensible.

Candidly speaking, the coalition government’s over-all performance so far has been dismal. The people, by and large, feel cheated, so much so that they seem to have forgotten the misrule of the Congress. They now consider the Congress party a much lesser evil.

In my view, unalloyed candour in the matter would prove less damaging to the BJP’s public image than any attempt to evade responsibility.

The public at large, it must be noted, forgives the penitent rulers but not the audacious ones. History bears ample testimony to the aforesaid fact. Further, as they say, all the people cannot be befooled all the time.

TARA CHAND
Ambota (Una)

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Fake universities

In the latest list prepared by the University Grants Commission, there are at least 20 fake universities in the country. But the truth is that there are more such centres. The situation in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh is better while it is deplorable in other areas, especially Delhi. The Capital of India has seen a mushroom growth of education shops, ruining the career of students.

Students must demand a ban on such fraudulent teaching shops. The government should enact a law to put an end to the growth of such shops, which have converted teaching into cheating. Earlier the better.

S. C. DHOSIWAL
Panchkula

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Looking for NGOs

I read the letter of Mr Jaswant Singh of the USA “In search of credible NGOs” (Nov 6), who is interested in setting up libraries in rural Punjab and other states.

I too belong to Punjab and would like to submit that literacy comes first. As you must be aware of it over-all literacy in Punjab is 58.5 per cent and female literacy is 50.4 per cent — lower than that in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, etc.

We are an NGO. We are working in rural areas and have already adopted a backward village in the Mewat region of Haryana. We would be happy to work with Mr Singh to serve rural Punjab/Haryana. We can be contacted at the Techno-Economic Research Institute, J-7, Saket, New Delhi-110017.

P. C. BANSIL
New Delhi

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Honesty today

Today when corruption has afflicted every segment of life in India, there are still people who are honest, who have remained unaffected by this malady.

We found one such example recently in our office, KRIBHCO. Mr Ashwani Kumar from Helpage India visited our office in connection with some official work. While on his visit he lost his gold ring, costing around Rs 7,000. It was found by Mr Kuldeep Rana, an attendant in our office. Mr Rana asked everyone in the office about the ownership of the ring. But no one claimed it. He, however, declared that whenever the ring owner contacted him he would hand it over to him.

Mr Ashwani Kumar, on realising the loss of his gold ring, started a frantic search for it in all the offices he had visited on the fateful day. Consequently, he visited KRIBHCO also and contacted the officer whom he had met earlier. The officer called Mr Kuldeep Rana. After varifying the details, the ring was returned to Mr Ashwani Kumar.

The honesty of Mr Kuldeep Rana deserves to be highlighted.

ANIL KASHYAP
Chandigarh

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Important CME ideas

This is the season of Continuing Medical Education (CME). The Tribune has covered the Chandimandir session and the one held at Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh, rather well.

I feel that the contribution by way of new ideas made by Doctors Y. Chawla, D.K. Bhasin, D. Behera, S. Jain, D. Gupta and R.Kochar was left out, depriving the public of much information, knowledge and hope. These participants are renowned teachers and clinicians in varied fields.

(DR.) RAJ KUMAR
Chandigarh