Curtail ties with China

Reference to ‘Tying up with Taiwan’; it is time for India to see through the nefarious designs of China. Instead of trying to mend fences, India should go ahead and expose China’s policies on various global platforms. China has been continuously making incursions on borders with India despite having a ‘package settlement’ in 2005. There is a strong need to devise an exhaustive policy instead of making piecemeal policy changes to deal with China. It is evident that President Xi Jinping is vindictive towards India. Despite PM Modi’s warm welcome to him during his visit to India, China has been showing hostility towards us. India should stop pleasing China and think of curtailing trade relations with it. Rather, it should consider exploring trade avenues with countries such as Taiwan.

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V Kumar, Ludhiana

Mock drills sensible

Refer to ‘India tests Covid readiness with drills in hospitals’; holding mock drills is a sensible exercise. These drills are needed to curb infections in view of the New Year celebrations. While Covid-appropriate behaviour is really warranted, tightening operating conditions for the service industry can wait, as, at present, India’s caseload is quite low. A speedy rollout of vaccines in 2021 was a very effective measure to combat the pandemic, but when it came to booster shots, the performance this year has been disappointing. Measures such as mock drills, masking mandates and vaccination drives should be the priority. These can help keep infections under control without derailing economic growth.

SK Panesar, by mail

No comparison

Former minister Salman Khurshid shouldn’t have compared Rahul Gandhi with Lord Rama and the Congress leadership must pull him up. No human, however great, ought to be compared with the divine. However, it is odd that if the BJP compares PM Modi with Lord Rama, it is acceptable, but if the Congress does so in Rahul’s case, it is not.

Ramesh Gupta, Narwana

Revive OPS

The revival of the old pension scheme (OPS) has become a contentious issue. Those who oppose it say that its revival is nothing but a populist measure being announced by some political parties to woo voters. However, the huge burden having been inflicted on the exchequer by writing off loans taken by rich corporate houses doesn’t stir their conscience. The argument that the revival of the OPS for government employees, who represent a miniscule number as compared to that of free foodgrain beneficiaries, will put a huge burden on the future generation is bizarre. The revival of the OPS is akin to rectifying the wrong done in 2003.

Roshan Lal Goel, Ladwa

Boost industrial growth

Refer to ‘At 8-9% growth, India will take 20 years to become developed nation, says former RBI Governor’; no doubt PM Modi’s vision is to take India to dizzying heights and he is working to the best of his ability. At present, India with per capita income of $3,472 is known as a middle-income country; to be classified as a developed country, it would require to raise its per capita income to $13,205, which is a distant dream at the moment. To raise the growth rate, policymakers will have to bring about drastic changes in policies, especially in the field of industrial growth, which is the only solution to boost economic growth.

Raj Kumar Kapoor, Ropar

Improve collegium system

Refer to ‘Collegium system of appointment needs a rethink’; there is no wrong in reviewing the collegium system. Parliament should come up with a new measure. However, there is no point criticising the Supreme Court’s 2015 verdict that struck down the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) and the 99th Amendment. This will further spoil the executive-judiciary relationship. The CJI is right in saying, “The executive must show constitutional statesmanship and avoid public grandstanding on the issue.” His opinion on strengthening the collegium system also sounds good. One or two cases of ‘wrong selection’ of judge(s) since its having been in force cannot be the ground to disprove the system’s fairness. Mere criticism or delay in appointments will not help improve the present system. The executive should adhere to the fixed timelines to clear appointments except in exceptional cases.

Raj Kumar Goyal, Patiala

Pay MGNREGA workers

Delay in payments to MGNREGA workers highlights the gross failure of the government. The government has not taken any earnest measure to tackle the issue. This scheme has and continues to be a saviour for a number of destitute people and it does not behove the government to turn a blind eye towards them.

Aanya Singhal, Noida

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