Linking voter ID to Aadhaar

Refer to ‘Electoral reforms’; the passage of the Bill by voice vote in such a hurry has set off a political storm. However, the Centre has said furnishing Aadhaar number is not mandatory as voters will not be deleted from the rolls or stopped from enrolling due to their inability to do so, if they can present other identification documents to prove their identity. Both Centre and the EC agree that seeding Aadhaar to voter rolls will help weed out duplication and bogus voters. But from the amendments, it isn’t clear how this will be achieved. The provisions allowing the electoral registration officer to ask any voter to furnish their Aadhaar number will end up giving the bureaucracy tremendous discretion. The right to vote is a statutory right. It is unfortunate that such legislations are being passed at a short notice and without debate.

SK SINGH, by mail

Election laws

Refer to ‘LS passes Bill to link voter card with Aadhaar’. One shudders to imagine the rationale behind the government not only rushing with the introduction of the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, around noon, but also getting it passed by around 3 pm! Would heavens have fallen if it had acceded to the Opposition’s demand to send the Bill to a Standing Committee of Parliament? The government continues to toy with the idea of not taking the Opposition parties into confidence even in respect of various key national issues. Does such a self-serving practice befit democratic norms?

Kumar Gupt, Panchkula

Laugh it off

Apropos of ‘Duty to laugh’, with a refined sense of humour, Justice GR Swaminathan adds a new chapter to judicial discourse. Modi and Amit Shah are hovering over the Constitution. If only they could heed the suggestion of Justice Swaminathan and laugh, India would feel much relaxed.

Beant Singh Bedi, Mohali

Why advertise?

After lodging an FIR against Bikram Majithia, the next day the Punjab Government published an advertisement captioned ‘Drug Free Punjab’, claiming that stern action was being taken against drug traffickers. It is not a secret that FIR has been registered against Majithia. Everyone is aware of it through print, electronic and social media. Why is there a need to spend public money to inform people about the news through advertisement and take credit for the action which is the duty of the government? Is Punjab going to be drug free after registering an FIR against a single person?

Sukhdev Singh Minhas, Mohali

Ken-Betwa project

Refer to ‘Ken-Betwa project can ravage Bundelkhand’; the irony of independent India is baseless opposition by pseudo-environmentalists for every water conservation project, be it Tehri or Sardar Sarovar Dam or any interlinking canal system. The Green Revolution was not possible without construction of Bhakra Nangal system, etc., which made the barren and dry lands of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan the ‘Granary of India’ and ushered in food security. Bundelkhand, the driest region of Central India, will be benefited by interlinking of the Ken-Betwa project which has been delayed ever since it was proposed in 1970 by Dr KL Rao in his master plan ‘National Water Grid-Interlinking of Rivers’ as the solution for conservation of rainwater that India wasted to the tune of nearly 90%.

VIRENDER SINGH LATHER, Karnal

Learning in Urdu

Japuji Sahib was introduced to us in Class V at Sri Guru Ramdass Khalsa High School, Amritsar, but ‘Gutka’ prescribed for it was in Urdu (‘Not in good faith’). Even algebra was in Urdu. Many candidates appearing in ‘Gyani’ (Honours in Punjabi language and literature) exam of the PU wrote their scripts in Persian. The Council for the Promotion of Urdu Language is doing a yeoman’s service. There have been efforts to polarise society on the basis of script, but it is not going to last long. It is not easy to distinguish between simple Hindi and Urdu from speech. The couplets quoted by the writer say it all.

MOHAN SINGH, AMRITSAR

Marriage at 21

An 18-year-old girl is a teenager, who is hardly fit to face the challenges of married life (‘Raising girl’s age to marry’). The government has done well to raise the marriage age of women to 21 years, the same as for men — underscoring the law of equality. The law will have far-reaching benefits. Girls too can pursue higher studies and a career, which will make them self-dependent. A mature woman can plan her life intelligently. It will also go a long way in controlling population growth. For every major decision in the family, she needs to be consulted. It will prove to be a boon for women in remote areas where married girls of a tender age turn anaemic after repeated deliveries. To achieve these goals, we have to provide affordable education to all girls to equip them well for future challenges.

KARNAIL SINGH, Kharar

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