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L E T T E R S T O T H E E D I T O R

CBI needs autonomy, not reforms

The recent decision of the government to make three major reforms in the working of the CBI is a welcome step. These are: the procedures for the appointments of the CBI director and the prosecution director will change and the agency will get more financial resources/rights. But even with these major reforms, the CBI will not get autonomy.

Some of the important rights have still been retained by the government. The prosecution director will work under the law ministry. Prior permission will be needed to initiate action against officers above the rank of Joint Secretary. IPS officers will get top positions in the CBI as no decision to promote CBI cadre officers to top posts was taken. At present the CBI is working under the Delhi Police Special Establishment Act. The government has decided only to amend this Act. On the other hand, the CBI itself had asked for a new CBI Act in 2010 and a draft to this effect was also submitted to the government. But the GoM and the Cabinet didn't consider it. Some of the opposition parties are still demanding to bring the CBI under the supervision of the Lokpal. Let us hope the changes suggested by the GoM will improve its working.

RANJIT K CHANDAN, Balachaur

Futile exercise

The recently concluded bypoll to the lone Mandi parliamentary constituency of Himachal Pradesh seems to be a fruitless exercise in the name of constitutional obligation. The seat had fallen vacant after the resignation of Virbhadra Singh, the then Union Minister, ostensibly in the face of his alleged involvement in a corruption case. But the real cause was Virbhadra Singh's strong desire to return to the state politics.

The people did not show much enthusiasm as they used to do because of the fact that the current Parliament has less than a year to go and the newly elected MP will have very little time at his disposal to contribute in the nation's law-making body. There are very sessions ahead for the current Parliament which the newly elected MP will be able to attend. And on the other hand, due to the election process, all development works had come to a halt in the affected areas owing to the election's code of conduct that came into force a month in advance. This regime also comes in handy for the complacent and unscrupulous officials. The public is the only sufferer due to stalled development works and expenditure that the elections heap on it indirectly.

If we are bound by the constitutional obligations in such matters as the by-election referred to herein, Parliament has the power to effect a suitable amendment to stop such farcical exercises which waste public money and hamper development. After all, the Constitution too works for the good of the people. In such cases, the President should have the power to nominate MPs for such short-duration vacancies.

L R SHARMA, Sundernagar

Strategic partnership

The article 'US and India: 1 plus 1 makes 11' by John Forbes Kerry (June 27) is full of diplomacy for a strategic partnership among the largest and oldest democracies of the world. Let the US leadership prove itself to be honest and not hypocrite for A mutually beneficial relationship to prove one plus one makes 11 in the sportsman spirit.

It is a matter of great honour that the leadership in the US recognises the contribution of Indian Americans who are just 1 per cent of the population, but create 8 per cent of all technology and engineering start-ups.

To look forward and move forward in sustainable relationships, there is a strong case for leadership in both democracies to learn spiritual mathematics, which teaches us that one plus one is equal to one (1+1= 1) which is the need of the hour.

DR MM GOEL, Kurukshetra

Bharat Nirmaan?

It is the "far-reaching" foreign policy of our government that China has built a 5-km road inside Indian territory, thus "helping" India in "Bharat Nirmaan". Will the government clarify under which scheme China has constructed the road? Is it under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) or MGNREGA? The "hallmark" of Bharat Nirmaan is that at present the population of poor people in India is more than 50 crore. According to the World Bank's latest report, India accounts for a 33 per cent of the world's poor. This is the one-third of the total population of the world. Is this Bharat Nirmaan?

RK ARORA, Amritsar

Celebrating girl child's birth
According to a news item appearing in a section of the print media, there is a small village, Dharhara, 35 km from Bhagalpur in northern Bihar. The village propagates a 150-year-old tradition of planting a minimum of 10 mango trees by every family in celebration of the birth of a girl child. These mango trees, on bearing fruit within a span of five to seven years, bring the girl many benefits from her education to dowry. The trees also provide the village insurance against natural calamities such as floods that may wash away all their belongings. The trees also serve as social security and maintain the ecological balance.
This is in sharp contrast to trends of female infanticide, sex determination, dowry deaths and dictates of Khaps.
The documentary entitled "Mango girls" by Robert Carr and Kunal Sharma of Mandar Productions is a pleasant presentation of this age-old tradition. It is an indictment of those for whom the birth of a girl child is disheartening. Both Carr and Sharma deserve to be applauded for highlighting the need for changing our poor mentality which generally develops after the birth of a girl child.
DEEPAK TANDON, Panchkula