The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Thursday, June 14, 2001, Chandigarh, India

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

M A I L B A G

Replace VRS with ‘sell-your-job option’

Crores of rupees have been spent on the VRS in banks. Now the Punjab Government wants to launch a VRS at the cost of tax-payers. The employees, who were getting salary without working even for 100 days in a year and for two to three hours on an average daily, would get Rs 5 lakh to 20 lakh as a reward for their being inefficient during the service career.

Why should the government use public money? There can be another alternative. Let the employees sell their jobs to the qualified and eligible unemployed people at a market price. If people are prepared to pay Rs 4 lakh to 10 lakh as a bribe for a government job, they will be too happy to pay the same amount in a legitimate manner direct to an employee who relinquishes his job to make room for him.

Downsizing does not appear to be possible in our type of democracy. One government will spend crores to downsize, the next government, for the sake of votes and for making money, will create a much higher number of jobs. Everybody knows how the Railway Ministry has been used by different ministers for their own interests, mainly for providing jobs to the people of their community.

Now when the market has opened up for everything, why not sell jobs also. The only losers will be corrupt politicians and bureaucrats who make a fortune in government appointments.

By adopting this method, banks and the government will save crores of the tax-payers’ money. The criteria of qualification and eligibility can be maintained.

Further only those employees should be allowed to sell their jobs who are cleared by a screening committee, no doubt, it can also lead to sharing of the premium amount.

BHARTENDU SOOD, Chandigarh

Living in a joint family

Benefits of the joint family system outweigh its drawbacks, if any. Being a teenager living in a joint family, I see the role grandparents play in our lives.

There is a strong and natural bond of affection between grandparents and grandchildren. Grandparents are the best friends a child can have. It is no wonder then that as children our lives are greatly influenced by our grandparents. Our future is fashioned by them to a large extent.

With their vast range of experience in life, grandparents are an invaluable source of education for the young generation. By participating in the upbringing of children at home, they shape future citizens of the country into responsible and disciplined members of society. If grandparents are themselves truthful, punctual, disciplined, they can inculcate these positive values in their grandchildren as well.

Whenever children feel down in dumps or have some problem, they can always rely on their doting grandparents to lend them a patient ear and guide them gently but surely out of the troubled waters. Such understanding children are sure to grow up into considerate and caring adults.

It hurts me to know that like in foreign countries in India too old people’s homes are coming up fast. I fail to understand the mentality of the people who can be so heartless as to deprive their children of the love and friendship of grandparents by sending them to such desolate places. How can they ignore or choose to forget the sacrifices their parents must have made in bringing them up?

SANSKRITI KHANNA, Panchkula

Of academic freedom

It is quite unfortunate that a bold thinker and an economist of Punjabi University, Patiala, has drawn the wrath of Dr Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia, Vice-Chancellor, for his frank comments about the “sangat darshan” programme. I wouldn’t like to blame the Vice-Chancellor of this university individually for serving the controversial show-cause notice on Dr Sucha Singh Gill.

We, Indians, in fact, still suffer from the hangover of the medieval age and the British Raj. In feudal courts, there was no room for dissent and sychophants used to be the darlings of kings and nobles. The British rulers suppressed anti-establishment ideas for keeping their empire intact. After we got freedom in 1947, our rulers and “the brown sahibs” emulated the so-called etiquettes of their predecessors.

We have democracy only on paper as far as the right to expression is concerned. We are still deeply intolerant of those who dare to differ from us. We want freedom to say what we ourselves like to say. We expect blind loyalty and sychophancy from others.

There is a great deal of ideological witch-hunting. Most of the pro-establishment intellectuals claim to be neutral and they don’t leave a single chance to harass and belittle pro-people thinkers when they happen to be in some office of consequence. Such people derive a sadistic pleasure in suppressing and gagging academics like Dr Gill.

The present central government is encouraging ideological witch-hunting in a big way and the national dailies are maintaining a tacit silence as if they were ready to welcome the saffronisation of the Indian education system. Now astrology will be treated as a science subject in Indian universities. On this serious issue also, there is a limited and inadequate debate in this vast country.

The Tribune has done a commendable job by supporting the cause of these unnecessarily harassed scholars. I agree with the viewpoint of the paper that our universities needn’t be treated as “extension-counters of the government”. The Vice-Chancellor could have said as most of our Indian editors say: “We differ with Dr Gill on this issue. These are his personal views.”

RAJ BAHADUR DEHATI, Rewari

Sharing the blame

The sacking of Brig Surinder Singh (June 4) brings to mind the question of sharing responsibility in the service. While the professional negligence, even if inadvertent, that resulted in the Kargil fiasco and the resultant loss of life and national honour, cannot be condoned, to blame it entirely on the Brigade Commander is incorrect.

The officers above him should have ensured that the Brigadier did his job well. If he was found wanting, he should have been removed before, and not after the event. The senior officers surely have to share some responsibility for having failed to provide competent professional leadership and guidance.

SUMANDEEP KAPOOR, Jalandhar cantt

No to referendum

Mr M.S.N. Menon’s suggestion (June 1) to hold a referendum in the Kashmir valley to find out whether the people want to join India or Pakistan or seek independence, is not acceptable due to the fact that the people of Kashmir had been participating in the various elections from time to time, which is indicative of the fact that they had already decided to remain in India. The valley should not be partitioned on the basis of religion, as there is no end to this demand.

PADAMJEET SHARMA, Chandigarh

HUDA plots

HUDA has announced an offer of free hold residential plots in its urban estates in different towns. The booking for these plots commenced on 4.4.2001 and the closing date was 4.5.2001 for the general category. HUDA extended the last date first to 4.6.2001 and again to 29.6.2001, thus delaying the draw. Meanwhile, it is using public money and earning interest.

GURINDER KHANNA, Ambala city

Exam dates clash

The Punjab Public Service Commission has decided to hold a preliminary examination for the posts of Deputy Superintendent of Police etc on June 25, 2001. The Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission is also holding the Himachal Administrative Examination on the same day. I request the PPSC to change the date of the examination.

SUNIL CHAUDHARY, Shimla