Cultural shift to combat junk food

Apropos of ‘Junk food needs a strong policy dose’; the over-the-counter food is not merely a dietary choice but a behavioural addiction, reinforced by instant gratification and emotional satiety. Children reach out for packaged snacks out of habit, boredom or stress. Sometimes, parents too encourage processed food in place of home-cooked food. This normalises unhealthy eating patterns. In rural areas, cheap ultra-processed snacks are replacing traditional foods. Combating junk-food consumption requires not only stricter regulations but also a cultural shift that promotes wholesome eating habits.

Ashok Singh Guleria, Hamirpur

Discourage bad eating habits

Refer to ‘Junk food needs a strong policy dose’; the food we eat should come in contact with heat or agni three times — first during its cultivation in the fields under the sun, second while cooking, and third during digestion inside the body. Junk food breaks all these essential rules. Such food often contains processed ingredients stored for long periods. This kind of food culture is slowly replacing healthy, home-cooked meals from our platters, especially among youngsters and working couples. Prioritising small-term benefits, like taste and convenience, can have far-reaching consequences. The need of the hour is to take strong initiative. Awareness, education and supportive public health measures are necessary to make people get rid of these unhealthy foods.

Anup Kumar Gakkhar, Haridwar

Avoid fresh trouble

Refer to the Two Views segment ‘A feasible solution to the imbroglio’ and ‘Why Chandigarh still eludes Punjab’; Chandigarh is financially unmanageable by any one state. The inclusion of Chandigarh in Punjab was linked to simultaneous transfer of designated Hindi-speaking areas of Abohar and Fazilka to Haryana overriding the fact that Kharar tehsil, including Chandigarh, had 55% Hindi-speaking population as per the 1961 census, a fit case for transfer to Haryana. Even today, Chandigarh has more Hindi-speaking population than Punjabi. After 60 years of bifurcation, a new trouble should be avoided.

Ashok Kumar Goel, Panchkula

China can’t be trusted

Apropos of ‘Arunachal row’; India does not assert itself when it comes to its neighbour China. We have a history with China of backstabbing — ‘Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai’ slogan for some years, followed by its 1962 incursion into India. But, in recent times, New Delhi has been showing pliability in trade matters. Beijing is always up to mischief in border areas, trying to transgress a little each time across the Line of Actual Control. PM Narendra Modi has unequivocally declared many times that not an inch of our land is under Chinese occupation, but is it so?

BM Singh, Amritsar

India’s rare earth reserves

The Union Cabinet’s approval of Rs 7,280 cr for the Rare Earth Permanent Magnet scheme will help cut import dependence on China and establish a long-term rare earth reserves ecosystem. Although India possesses the world’s fifth-largest rare earth reserves, we barely contribute 1 per cent to the global production. This scheme is a definitive corrective designed to capture the entire value chain within Indian borders. It will ensure that our push for 100 per cent electric mobility and renewable energy targets will not be held hostage to external price shocks, tariffs and trade embargoes. However, fiscal incentives without necessary political will are not enough. To translate the scheme into meaningful benefits, the government must dismantle the stringent regulatory blockade on mining and processing.

Madhvi Sharma, by mail

Awareness in border areas

Refer to ‘A disturbing trend’; the alarming rise in Pakistani drug cartels targeting Punjab’s adolescents reflects a deeper structural failure than mere policing gaps. It signals a collapse of both community vigilance and institutional deterrence. We need to focus on the social fabric by strengthening school-based awareness, holding youth engagement programmes and building rehabilitation pathways. Unless Punjab invests simultaneously in security and social resilience, an entire generation risks being trapped in a silent epidemic.

Riddhi Mudgil, Zirakpur