The Election Commission appoints observers (expenditure) in each constituency to keep a check on the expenditure being incurred by each contesting candidate. In practice, generally these observers take such duties as paid holidays with additional perks like hospitality etc, provided by the local administration. They don’t try to get real inputs on money being spent by the main contestants, and send reports on the basis of data provided to them by junior functionaries attached with them by the local administration. Hence, the Election Commission doesn’t get the desired input to curb the menace of ever-increasing role of money power in elections.

All political parties try their best to circumvent the statutory ceiling by not making public the sources of their income and details of the expenditure. There must be a statutory body to regulate the flow of funds to political parties and disposal thereof, particularly during the elections.

LAJPAT RAI GARG, Panchkula

Police training

The training of the police personnel is an imperative (editorial, “Policing Punjab”, Feb 17). The police will have to change radically in order to become people-friendly. During their basic training, policemen need to be sensitised about human rights and how to handle sensitive cases.

Our police personnel need to be taught skills and sensitised about handling complainants who are already traumatised due to the mishap, which brings them to the police station in the first place. Another important element in police reforms is adequate manpower. Most state police departments are woefully understaffed with a large number of vacancies.

Another major reform that requires immediate attention is modernisation of the police force. The Indian police is one of the most ill-equipped in the world, even though India is one of the worst sufferers of terrorism. The police lacks fast vehicles, communication equipment and even proper weapons. The government should allocate more funds to the police for its modernisation.

RAJIV ARORA, Ferozepur City

Improve education

The editorial “Educated, in name only” (Feb 16) presented the real picture of the education system in India. If students of Class V in rural India can only read textbooks of Class II, teachers alone are to be blamed. In fact, education in rural areas is most neglected.

Surprise checks conducted by education authorities have often found that teachers are either absent or sitting idle. They are not serious about imparting education to students.

Besides, there is lack of discipline and condition of schools and infrastructure leaves much to be desired. India has not been able to set its education system right even after six decades of Independence.