Missing bigger picture

THE editorial ‘Diversification push’ rightly appeals to the innate sense of proportion and common intelligence of the farmers, people and the politicians. The same attitude of ‘mere talk’ is being shown to the fast-depleting groundwater table, as is evident in case of the unprecedented rise in public debt of Punjab. Society should be ready to pay the price in times to come. The state has to take a legal measure rather than announcing incentives or subsidies to encourage the right use of this natural resource. It should make the producers and the government think of alternatives as fast as they can, as economic sense and farsight dictates.

Jagvinder Singh Brar, Patiala

Row over data

Transparency is of utmost importance when we collect data for medical research. Whenever the WHO or any other international agency pinpoints discrepancies, deficiencies or errors by Indian health scientists or councils, instead of introspection, they blatantly deny and make excuses (‘Row over Covid deaths’; ‘Health Council rejects WHO data’). They also start questioning the authenticity of the methodology of the agency and label its computation style as analytically wrong. This trend is wrong as will never make us tread the path of progress and prosperity.

Sunil Chopra, Ludhiana

Stoking hatred

Refer to ‘Hate speeches put social media under scrutiny’; such speeches are targeting groups for their ideologies, religious beliefs, gender expressions, appearance, socio-economic status, etc. Hate speeches are circulated widely and thus have not only the potential to create individual harm, but also create severe offline consequences, such as incitement of violence and to encourage people to engage in further hate speech or commit offline hate crimes.

Gaurav Badhwar, Rohtak

Burden of free ride

Apropos of ‘Dues pending, free bus travel takes govt on Rs 114 crore ride’, the reimbursement to PRTC on account of free travel for women has been pending since December 2021. It is shameful that various political parties indulge in a race during elections to announce freebies for different sections, without taking into account the fiscal condition of the state. Concessions or freebies to ineligible persons puts extra burden on the pockets of taxpayers, generally belonging to the salaried middle class that cannot conceal even a penny of their income. Such a tendency puts the state into a circle of indebtedness and annoys a major section of the electorate.

Vijaya Sharma, by mail

Model schools

Apropos of ‘In Punjab’s meritorious schools, 84% seats vacant’, as a former principal of a meritorious school, my heart bleeds to see the state of neglect of the schools and teachers. The education department seems to be coming with bright ideas on how to ruin the very noble concept of these residential schools. Education is provided free of cost, including board and lodging, to poor students who have studied in government schools. The aim was to prepare the students for professional colleges/institutes. The Chief Minister and the Education Minister must visit the school at Mohali to see the infrastructure created there for the youth of Punjab. Take it as a challenge and re-run them as model schools. It is recommended to consider opening admission from class 9 onwards, and on priority, regularise the service of teachers.

Col RC Patial (retd), Amritsar

No to appeasement

Refer to ‘Secularist silence on Islamic bigotry’; minority appeasement has gone on unabated in India since Independence. Though secularism might have been adopted by Nehru as a lofty state policy, it was soon turned into a ‘minority vote-catching holy cow’ by other politicians, equating it to Hindu-bashing. Dravidian politicians boycotted Hindu functions, while openly participating in those of the minorities. The fallout of this political hypocrisy was the gradual buildup of resentment among peace-loving Hindus, accentuated by the memories of historical Islamic bigotry and the steady growth of minority population. The Hindu feelings of insecurity were capitalised upon by the BJP, with results we see today. True secularism means equal respect for all religions, not appeasement of any section, while discriminating against another.

V Jayaraman, Chennai

Discipline Sidhu

The tweet by Navjot Sidhu regarding his meeting with CM Bhagwant Mann to discuss matters regarding the revival of Punjab’s economy is baffling. This misplaced belief that he still has locus standi in state politics is yet another hole in his political sinking ship. Sonia Gandhi and the party’s disciplinary committee should display moral courage to show him the door.

SPS NARANG, NEW DELHI

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