No efforts to incentivise farmers

With reference to ‘Paddy pangs’; despite being aware of the dire situation due to continuous overexploitation of groundwater for the cultivation of paddy, the governments of Punjab and Haryana seem to be unconcerned. No efforts have been made by the authorities to incentivise farmers to shift to other crops, discarding paddy. The authorities should understand that just giving sermons to farmers for protecting the environment and preserving natural resources is not going to solve the problem. A viable option of an alternative crop should be provided so that it can fetch them money, which is at least equal if not more than what they are getting from paddy’s assured procurement.

Yoginder Singhal, Ladwa

Need diversification of crops

Refer to ‘Paddy pangs’; frequent agitations by farmers over the minimum support price and other procurement-related problems are not enough to resolve these issues. Factors like purity and quality of produce play a key role in the export of commodities. Punjab immediately needs diversification of crops, and for that, agricultural research, post-harvest management and cold stores for other crops such as vegetables, fruits and pulses are the need of the hour. Farmers need to make cooperatives or producer companies and start selling their produce directly to consumers.

Harvinder Singh Chugh, Jalandhar

Congress promoting ‘parivarvad’

Apropos of ‘Dynasties first’; why blame the Congress alone for this ignoble trend of giving tickets to one’s family members during the elections? This phenomenon is visible in political parties all over India. In the recently held elections in Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana, almost no party was an exception to it. The Congress has been facing the charge of promoting ‘parivarvad’ since Independence. Earlier, the BJP used to attack its opponents over dynastic politics. Now, it has also succumbed to this temptation. In the municipal and panchayat elections, women are elected but the real power remains in the hands of their husbands.

Ravinder Kumar Jain, Ludhiana

Curb nepotism in politics

Refer to ‘Dynasties first’; it is a matter of grave concern that our political leaders are tempted to field their family members in the elections rather than grooming fresh and more deserving candidates from the grassroots. It is not only the Congress; other political parties are also not lagging behind in their insatiable greed to remain in power. The Congress is mired in the culture of political dynasties. Its slogan of ‘one family, one ticket’ is only rhetoric. Such a skewed political mindset of ‘family first’ doesn’t augur well for Indian democracy. Reining in nepotism in politics is the need of the hour.

MD Sharma, Shimla

Need coordinated global action

Apropos of ‘Need to review UN Charter to reflect change’; the 21st century is facing immense dangers, ranging from a nuclear war to a planetary emergency, from persistent poverty and widening inequality to the unhindered advancement of artificial intelligence threatening the existence of humanity. All these challenges need coordinated global action and cannot be resolved at the domestic level. The call for reforms in the UNSC dates back 30 years with the creation of the Open-ended Working Group and many other initiatives were also taken, but all failed to amend the UN Charter. The League of Nations and the UN — created after World War I and II, respectively — proved successful in the initial years but later failed owing to stagnant and unequal policies. We must not wait for World War III before coming up with a better ecosystem.

Vaibhav Goyal, Chandigarh

Mistreatment of women

With reference to ‘Islam recognises women as equal but not Taliban’; after the Taliban captured power in 2021 in Afghanistan, doubts were raised about their course of action with respect to women. These doubts have been proved right by the actions of the Taliban. Women in Afghanistan cannot go to colleges and universities and are allowed in schools only up to Class VI. They cannot move around in public without covering their bodies and must be accompanied by a male family member. It is shocking that in this age, a country can treat its women like this and get away with it. Islam has always considered women equal to men.

Deepak Taak, Panchkula

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