M A I L B A G

Modernising ITIs in Haryana

Keeping in view the increasing demand of skilled workers, the Haryana Government has taken a pragmatic step in persuading some of the industrial houses to adopt it is in their neighbourhood. The basic idea behind the scheme is to modernise the training programme of ITIs to improve the trainees’ job prospects.

To begin with, four MOUs between the industry and it is — the Maruti Udyog with Gurgaon and Rohtak ITIs, Liberity shoes with Karnal ITI, Sono Koyo Steering system with Nagina ITI and Jay Bharat Maruti with Faridabad ITI have been signed.

As per the MOUs, the cooperate houses adopting the ITIs will provide in-plant training to the students and the faculty of the institute. The industry will also supervise the upgradation of the training programme in their respective trades. Further, a separate management committee headed by the representatives of the industry will be formed for each ITI for taking policy decisions on day-to-day running of the institute.

It looks like a win-win situation for ITIs and the industry. The job prospects of ITI trainees with improved programme skills will improve in the emerging competitive industrial market.

The industry too will get trained manpower. In view of the obvious advantages of the scheme, it should also be extended to the polytechniques in the state.

Dr K.S. BALAIN, Sonepat

IT exemption

In the Union Budget-2005, income up to Rs 1.85 lakh was exempted from Income-Tax for senior citizens. This was much less than the exemptions available in the Budget-2004 under Sections 88-B, 80-L and 16(i) of the IT Act.

Keeping in view the constant price rise and the loss of bank interest suffered by senior citizens, Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram should increase the senior citizens’ exemption limit from Rs 1.85 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh.

R.K. JAIN, President, Senior Citizens’ Council, Jagadhri

II

It is advisable to amend Section 80 C (4) (a) of the Income-Tax Act to include the words “or any grand child of such individual”. This is in view of the changing social environment of Indian society. Particularly for the benefit of the girl child and, more particularly, when there are only grand parents and grand children.

CHANDER PRAKASH, Advocate, Mandi Gobindgarh

Cong, BJP must join hands In Germany, the coalition government consisting of Christians and Socialists is working well. The political situation in India is no different, but smaller parties like the Left, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the DMK are not allowing the Manmohan Singh government to work. The Left, in particular, has been creating one problem or the other. For the success of our democracy, the Congress and the BJP should come together and form a national government of the basis of a common minimum programme. This will put an end to the increasing role of small parties (some members of which have criminal antecedents) in the day-to-day governance. The time has come for political pandits and intellectuals to promote this idea, lest small parties destroy India. The remedies suggested by Lord Meghnad Desai merit attention. Criminals, family-oriented and regional parties should not be allowed to destroy the world’s largest democracy. P.L. GARG, Bathinda

NACO guidelines

Many of the blood banks run by corporate hospitals and private nursing homes charge more than Rs 500 as service charges for issuing blood to patients admitted in their hospitals. The service charges in these hospitals for various blood components are much more.

The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) has issued fresh guidelines for service charges for blood and blood components. The corporate and private hospital blood banks may charge to a maximum of Rs 500 per unit now. According to the new guidelines, state-run or voluntary blood banks can charge Rs 250 per unit as service charges from those patients receiving blood; hospitals would subsidise the remaining Rs 250.

According to the guidelines, no cost would be charged for issue of blood/ blood components from those having thalassaemia and haemophilia as these patients require repeated blood transfusion as life -aving measures in government and voluntary sector blood banks. Hope these guidelines would be followed by the blood banks of corporate and private hospital blood banks in letter and spirit in the interest of humanity.

Dr AJAY BAGGA, Hoshiarpur

Women as bartenders

This has reference to the Delhi High Court’s ruling that women can be bartenders. The matter might be appreciable as in the male-dominated society, a new job avenue as bartender for a woman has come up. But the question is whether we can permit our own sister or daughter to take up this job?

Has anyone ever won over an intoxicated person in reasoning and brainy arguments? Reason, commonsense, discretion, ethics all fail where intoxication and animalism prevail. Yes, the government cannot dare slaughter its golden egg-laying hen. But the option for accepting safe jobs is with women.

ANJULA KATOCH, Dharamsala

Pension account

The Government of India and the Haryana government have allowed their pensioners to open their pension accounts jointly with their spouses. The Punjab government too should extend this facility to its pensioners.

KAPIL DEV, Patiala