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Punjab must tidy up its economic mess
Punjab is indeed teetering on the edge of bankruptcy (article, “From bad to worse: Punjab scrabbles for survival” by Gobind Thukral, March 25). But what is worse is that the top leadership of the coalition is continuing to bury its head in sand. Perhaps, the government is thinking that the cure may prove politically more painful and harmful than the problem itself. It is, therefore, trying to live with the present state of affairs and even make the most of it as long as possible. This unsavoury conclusion can easily be drawn from the fact of appointment of sundry leaders as chairmen of various boards and corporations, many of which are running at a loss. Similarly, the posts of Chief Parliamentary Secretaries are redundant and a big drain on the government exchequer. But the leaders must humour their lackeys through patronage to ensure the stability of the government. Free power and subsidies are also continuing for keeping the rural vote bank safe. Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal’s occasional expression of helplessness to take radical measures because of opposition from fellow party leaders is only self-serving and meant to hide his own pusillanimity. He should either bite the bullet or say goodbye to the government to prove himself different from other self-centred leaders. His balancing act and shilly-shallying will not add to his stature any more now. The present economic mess is not intractable provided the government has the political will and is ready to keep the state’s interests above partisan ends. But its track record on both counts has been dismal. The state will, therefore, be heading towards more serious economic problems. T ARSEM SINGH, New Delhi
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Not progressive Cupid seems to have swayed the judges of the apex court (editorial, “Winds of change”, March 25). It is not winds of change but a tempest of devastation and is likely to destroy the warp and weft of moral fabric and ethical values of Indian society. Let us not confuse promiscuity and immorality with progress and liberation. BEHARI LAL SADDI, Samrala II The comments of the Supreme Court on pre-marital sex do not augur well for society. I am confident that the votaries of such an open society will feel utterly uncomfortable if their progeny opted for premarital sex. With the apex court sanctifying live-in relationships, the rout of Indian cultural values would be total. With the media already denigrating the Indian ethos by churning out soaps inimical to our values, the mindset of the Indian youth has already been adversely affected. Dr AMRIT SETHI, Bathinda III The apex court’s comments may reflect winds of change but are certainly not progressive. Ours is an ancient civilisation that endorses moral values and pre-marital sex has no place in it. This is not an orthodox view. By sanctioning premarital sex we would lead our younger generation astray. GURNAM SINGH RATHORE, Khanna New crops Any crop that is to be tried for cultivation should be thoroughly researched and evaluated before it is accepted for widespread use. The novelty of the crop should not form the basis for its adoption. Many crops like jatropha, almond, imported citrus and olive, which have been adopted in the previous years, have proved to be less successful than expected. Dr K K SHARMA, Ludhiana
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