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Chit funds

The Saradha scandal, the Sahara scam and the Odisha chit fund scam are occupying space in the media. Recently Sachin Pilot, former minister, released a list of 86 fraud chit fund companies, of which 72 are in West Bengal. Saradha, a privately owned company, was founded by Sudipto Sen in April, 2013, in West Bengal with 16,000 employees. A chit fund company is a kind of reserve where people pool a certain amount of money and are profited by various ponzi schemes. A group of people or some companies invest and hail profit over a period of time as it is an easy way to earn money. Greed to breed heavy interest on little investment attracts people. It is a vehicle for the poor as it is easy to join the companies without any documentation and is a kind of microfinance. But, life allows no shortcuts. Greed leads to fraud, resulting in a scam. But there have been no complaints against registered chit fund companies.

India has nearly 10,000 registered chit fund companies as of June, 2013. The largest one is being run by the Kerala Government since 1969. Various central and state laws regulate chit funds. The Chits Fund Act, 1982, aims to save people from cheats. Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra too have passed chit fund Acts.

There are many cases wherein chit fund companies have vanished after collecting crores of rupees from people. Those who invest in unregistered chit fund companies must learn a lesson. There are so many companies which are alluring people with heavy returns on investment. The Ministry of Finance must check such frauds.

Nishita Sharma, Jalandhar

Education quality down

The state of government schools across the country has deteriorated and is worse than that in the sixties. Many teachers are appointed on contract, temporary or ad hoc bases at meagre salaries. How can they be expected to do their job well while living with a sense of insecurity regarding their own future? Education at all levels — primary, secondary or higher — has been commercialised and is beyond the reach of many students. The right to education is only on paper. Teachers’ Day should be an occasion to introspect for doing something concrete rather than indulging in tokenism and hype aimed at promoting the image of the ruling party.

HL Sharma, Amritsar

MLA acquitted

The news dated September 15 that Ram Kumar Chaudhary, MLA from HP, has been acquitted, is yet another example of men with money and power being acquitted of crimes. Only honest and poor people who cannot offer bribes suffer. The police and the judiciary should be honest.

HR RAKHRA, Roopnagar

Befitting memorial

The news report that the birthplace of Shaheed Bhagat Singh has been preserved by the Pakistan Government is a laudable gesture of Pakistan (September 14). Relatives of martyrs Sukhdev, Kartar Singh Sarabha and Udham Singh and the people of the country have been repeatedly reminding the government to preserve and maintain their birthplaces. The birthplaces of martyrs Madan Lal Dhingra and Sohan Lal Pathak, too, are yet to be converted into befitting memorials. The Indian Government must take a leaf out of Pakistan's book in this sphere.

Surinderjit Singh Sandhu, Amritsar

Khatkar Kalan Museum

The people of Punjab, particularly the youth, should value the message of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh and his passion for his country. The message has been embossed on the statue of the martyr at the Shaheed-e-Azam’s museum in Khatkar Kalan, his ancestral village in Nawanshahr now called Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar. The museum is worth a visit. Even the pen used by the executioner for signing the death sentence of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev is displayed there. The two original pages of the jail diary in which Shaheed Bhagat Singh took notes of the books he studied in the jail are also exhibited in the museum. A copy of the judgment of the first Lahore conspiracy case in which Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha was sentenced to death along with Shaheed Bhagat Singh's scribbled notes in his handwriting on this copy are among the other notable exhibits and memorable belongings of the revolutionary martyrs of Punjab.

Harpreet Sandhu, Ludhiana

Extension in service

The Punjab Government’s decision to deny extension in service to ‘tainted’ employees after the age of 58 years is prudent. This is an excellent opportunity for the government to streamline the system by ensuring that only efficient officials, who actually contribute to the public interest, get the extension. But the government has to ensure that this process should not become a tool in the hands of the decision-makers to increase their wealth by resorting to the policy of pick and choose. A foolproof mechanism should be established which ensures that the process is fair and free from any prejudice. This will save the government from unnecessary trouble caused by litigations filed in various courts by some aggrieved parties.

Dipinder Singh Kalsi, Ludhiana

Age for jobs

The decision of the Punjab Government to decrease the age limit for entry in government service by one year is condemnable. It should rather decrease the retirement age of its employees from 58 to 55 years. No extension in any case should be given to its employees. It should be stopped forthwith.

Jasbir Singh, Gurdaspur

Bullying in media

Bullying in social media is a reality, especially for children. We take the comments made in various social media seriously and make them a part of our life. This virtual life or so-called social status is so important for us that after a time it becomes an addiction and starts affecting us in a negative way. Social bullying will not stop just by making laws. An individual has to understand the difference between humour and bullying. For this, literacy and education campaigns can help. The parents must keep a vigil on the content seen and made by their kids on these media.

Pooja Sharma, via email

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