The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

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M A I L B A G

Generating jobs for rural youth

The Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS) is a step in the right direction to eradicate poverty. In addition to development of infrastructure, money can be spent on marketing of farm produce also.

Nearly two-thirds of the rural population would get employment if we can market their farm produce through organised markets in the blocks or taluks. We must encourage a chain of self-seeking traders who can transport the produce from farm to market daily and give reasonable money to the farmer/cottage industry.

Rural youth, waiting to join this marketing chain, should act as local traders. Give them soft loans to purchase refrigerated vans, trucks, tempos for ferrying the farm produce from the fields to the organised market. Farm produce or cottage industry produce should be area-specific. Identify the type of produce people want and give them an opening through the organised marketing system.

Colonel C. J. PAL, Hyderabad

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

Mid-day meals elude kids

Mid-day meals elude school children throughout Haryana. In most districts, the children are unable to get meals for various reasons like the supply of bad foodstuff, irregular supply and official apathy.

When enquired, the functionaries pass the buck. The general practice has been to blame the politicians for the wrongs in society. But all seem to be equally responsible — the beneficiaries, the functionaries and society.

The citizens should fulfil their constitutional obligation of bringing every child to the school. The Tribune’s concerted efforts by raising the issue before the public will make people conscious about the children’s right to get enrolled in the school and make the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan successful.

S.P. MALHOTRA, Professor of Education, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra

Star performance

Congratulations to Anju Bobby George for getting a gold medal at the Asian Athletics Championship at Incheon in South Korea. Never mind, Sania Mirza, for losing out to Maria Sharapova this time in the US Open in New York. She will get many opportunities to avenge defeats and put behind temporary setbacks.

Sania is on the upward swing with her performance graph continually rising. That’s what matters. We have no doubt that she will maintain the tempo and do India proud.

Wg-Cdr S.C. KAPOOR (retd), Noida (UP)

Rise above religion

We witness religious intolerance and violence in the world because we insist that we must adhere to our own religion and follow it strictly in every walk of life. No religion is better or worse than another. Therefore, one must rise above religion. Adherence to any religion will breed intolerance to other religions and atheists.

May God help us to rise above our religion and attain Nirvana, Moksha, Mukti, salvation or whatever that is good for man and God.

OMAR LUTHER KING, New Delhi

Nangal neglected

Nangal is known as “Mini Chandigarh”. But it does not get proper attention from either the Punjab government or the BBMB authorities. Neither the board nor the government pays attention towards Nangal’s town planning and development.

The BBMB does not maintain the colonies. As a result, these are in bad shape. There is no planning for developing Nangal town. Perhaps, it would have got due attention had there been a representative from Nangal in the Punjab government.

ARVIND KUMAR, Nangal

Food for thought

S.S. Dhanoa’s middle “Ways of Sarkar” (Aug 11) was food for thought. When will our public life be free from corruption? A highly placed official of yesteryear could get access to the Estate Officer due to the intervention of his serving colleague. Think of an ordinary person without a godfather.

It is really shameful that even after 58 years of Independence, our society continues to be a slave of corrupt practices. Our politicians and bureaucrats spend lot of money in visiting foreign countries every year in the name of studying their systems but there is hardly any improvement on this account in our country. The quality of public life even in smaller countries is much better than in India.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has shown great interest to remove corruption from Punjab. Can the people hope for a corruption-free system in at least one single sector like education, health, administration, road transport or electricity before the ensuing State Assembly elections?

S.P. BAGGA, Ludhiana

Pre-96 retirees

The Punjab Government’s decision to rationalise pension/family pension of pre-96 retirees is most welcome. It will benefit thousands of retirees.

According to the decision, pension/family pension will not be less 50 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively, of the pay fixed on national basis in the revised grade, effective from Jan 1, 1996. The government should notify the decision soon.

YASH PAUL GHAI, Ludhiana

Eloquent cartoon

The cartoon (Oped Page, Sept 2) makes an eloquent commentary on the scheme of things in the country today.

Yes, the whole edifice of the existing administrative and political system is on the verge of collapse and yet the politicians, who are beneficiaries of the system, refuse to see the writing on the wall, and continue to stay put in their respective niches.

K.L. ARORA, Chandigarh