Age-specific digital safeguards needed

With reference to ‘Shielding kids from porn isn’t child’s play’; multiple factors fuel this menace, like early and unregulated access to smartphones, absence of parental digital literacy, inadequate school-level sensitisation and a borderless digital market. Countries like the UK, France and Australia have introduced stringent age-verification laws, mandatory parental-control frameworks, heavy penalties on platforms hosting explicit content and nationwide digital-safety education. In India, the need of the hour is a multi-pronged strategy, like strict enforcement of age-verification by telecom companies and digital platforms, mandatory digital-parenting workshops in schools, counselling of vulnerable children and a national child online safety policy. Parents must also model responsible screen time at home. Stronger safeguards can no longer be delayed.

Amarjit Singh, Mohali

Jobless growth in Haryana

Refer to ‘Haryana’s prosperity belies social fault lines’; the state’s growth resembles a “badhta bachcha” — growing fast, but not strong. Gurugram’s glittering prosperity stands in stark contrast to the persistent deprivation in some districts like Nuh, where opportunities remain painfully limited. A major reason for this imbalance is jobless growth, where the economy expands without creating enough meaningful work. Young people, especially in rural areas, find themselves excluded from the new economy. The transformation of farmland into real estate has created instability and widened social fault lines. Haryana must prioritise equitable development, strengthen education, skills and livelihoods, while regulating speculative land booms. Growth must not only be tall; it must be strong, inclusive and fair.

Harsh Pawaria, Rohtak

Taxpayer bears the burden

Refer to ‘Engineers fail test’; Haryana’s junior and mid-level engineers not being able to clear their departmental examination is deeply worrying. Such a high failure rate raises serious concerns about the technical strength of the very workforce responsible for building and maintaining the state’s public infrastructure. Engineers in government service are not just routine employees; they are the custodians of public projects that affect daily life — roads, bridges, public buildings, drainage systems and irrigation networks. If they are unable to demonstrate even basic proficiency in their specialised fields, the quality and safety of these projects naturally comes under clout. Ultimately, it is the taxpayer who bears the burden.

Sanjay Chopra, Mohali

Recruitment agencies at fault

Apropos of ‘Engineers fail test’; the highest standards and norms have not been maintained in the state due to practices like corruption, nepotism, communalism and regionalism by recruitment agencies — Haryana Public Service Commission and SSBs. They do not seem to be aware of their obligation to choose the right men for the right posts. A great deal of mischief is due to the secrecy inherent in the functioning of government offices.

Anil Bhatia, Hisar

Pattern of cutting corners

Refer to ‘Stalling justice’; the UP government seeking nod for the withdrawal of a 2015 lynching case from a district court does not augur well for the criminal justice system. It is a travesty of the time-tested principle: it is better for ten guilty persons to escape than for one innocent person to suffer. Unfortunately, such withdrawal of criminal cases is emerging as a pattern of cutting corners. The courts must not allow such attempts without deliberating over the merits and demerits of the case.

Rakesh Mohan Sharma, Pathankot

Only the poor deserve quota

Apropos of ‘CJI Gavai for exclusion of creamy layer in SC quota’; his contention that ‘children of IAS officers can’t be equated with the children of a poor agricultural labourer when it comes to reservation’ is absolutely right. But, no government dare take action in the matter fearing backlash by the SCs. Also, the Opposition will take undue advantage of the situation and defame the government as being anti-SC. Only the poor, irrespective of their caste, and the backward sections of the society, deserve reservation. But the moot question is: who will bell the cat?

VK Tangri, Mohali