M A I L B A G

Fix a deadline for quotas of all kinds

If quotas of various kinds are a must for social justice, a deadline must be fixed after which there should be no further extension for all including the SC/ST/OBCs.

The creamy layer must be excluded from the quota ambit. A person should be allowed to avail himself of his caste certificate only once in his lifetime and not always and ever like, say, for admission in a college, recruitment in government service and then promotion.

Moreover, if a person is already an MBBS doctor, he does not deserve quota for MD seat. This rule applies to all other fields. The system of single-use of SC/ST/OBC certificate, if introduced, will lead to the betterment of the reserved categories in due course of time.

HARPREET SINGH, Chandigarh

II

Our political leaders should not think that the apex court is restraining them from exercising their right to serve and work for the betterment of the underprivileged sections. As directed by the court, the government will have to use a reliable census (and not the outdated 1931 figures) to determine the exact percentage of OBC quota.

The 1931 figures are full of flaws and contradictions. Without fresh and reliable data, the Centre should not go ahead with its OBC quota plan.

Dr AKASH DEEP DINKAR, Kapurthala

III

I welcome the Supreme Court’s rejection of the Centre’s petition seeking vacation of the stay order on the OBC quota in IIMs and IITs. The UPA allies are trying to trigger off a fresh controversy between the legislature and the judiciary. But they should know that the Supreme Court has the ultimate power to determine the constitutional validity of all laws and amendments passed by Parliament and State Assemblies.

Surprisingly, while there is a clamour among politicians for the OBC quota, they are silent about the Women’s Reservation Bill. The OBC quota plan will help give them votes, but how will quota for women help them? I appeal to people not to get caught in the web of politicians who are out to divide our society.

PRIYANKA SHARMA, Pathankot

IV

I welcome the Supreme Court stay order on OBC reservation. To provide reservation for anyone on the basis of caste is arbitrary and unconstitutional. One should understand the agony of the deserving person when an inefficient and incapable person supersedes him because of his caste.

Reservation of all kinds should be scrapped forthwith because quotas will produce only incapable and inefficient doctors and engineers. If the government is keen on improving the standard of underprivileged children, it should provide them free books, stationary, tuition, transport, board and lodging and every other opportunity to succeed in life. These will help them to compete with the rest and come on a par with the advantaged.

ANKUR DATTA, Batala

V

The Centre has been pressing hard to rope in 27 per cent quota for the OBCs. This may protect and even expand the vote banks of the Congress and its UPA allies. At the same time, this may also go against the Centre.

Those in the general category also have the right to vote and they would teach a befitting lesson to the UPA in the coming Lok Sabha elections. The Congress cannot overlook the fact that it has lost elections in Punjab, Uttarakhand and Delhi Municipal Corporation where the voters were mostly from the general category.

If the Centre wants to serve all sections, the only criterion for reservation should be economic backwardness irrespective of one’s caste, colour or creed. People living below poverty line should be given reservation but not to the creamy layer and others. If caste-based quotas continue, these will demotivate the general category and, in the process, harm national interest.

VIPAN K. SIKRI, Ferozepur City

Review norms

I read Raj Kadyan’s suggestion for the state to amend the terms and conditions of training of military cadets. He recommends that the four-year training be also treated as commissioned service.

According to the existing terms, the period of training is not treated as commissioned service. Thus, in the event of a trainee’s premature demise in any accident during any exercise, the cadet’s next of the kin are not paid compensation. I endorse the suggestion for removal of the debarring clause in the cadets’ training.

True, the trainees for several all-India services undergoing long and costly training at the state’s cost have got to sign a bond for serving the benefactor organisation for a specified period. In most cadres and services, the trainees also have to indemnify the state against any claim in the event of any injury or demise in any accident or fatal sickness.

As there is an acute shortage of military officers, old norms should be suitably reviewed and monetary relief or compensation given to the family of a cadet losing his life during the training.

K.L. NOATAY, Shimla

Interest on loans

I thank the Haryana government for having waived off the interest on loans borrowed from co-operative banks and restored the LTC of employees. The decision on LTC proves the government’s pro-employee attitude.

I would suggest another important step. Previously, the state government was lending loans to the physically handicapped people through the Department of Economic and Backward Classes. Though there has been an overall reduction in the interest rates of all loans in the past 3 to 4 years, interest rates of loans taken by the handicapped have not been reduced correspondingly.

Since the interest of loans of the general public has been waived off, the interest of loans taken by handicapped people may also be waived off.

BALBIR SINGH, Ambala cantonment