Economic disaster

Refer to ‘Staring into economic abyss’ (May 30); the Covid syndrome has overtaken everything, even intelligible actions. Extension of lockdown portends economic disaster. Businesses which are facing a double whammy of liquidity crunch and shortage of workers may not recover from continued lockdown. The government had been given enough time for preparedness and lining up medical services. It must now facilitate the opening up of businesses and the hospitality industry. India is already staring at less than 3 per cent GDP, which may set off conditions for Great Depression.

Ashok Goswami, via mail

Our brave jawans

Hats off to our ever ready and agile soldiers whose alertness and presence of mind thwarted Pulwama 2.0. Children and the youngsters should be made aware of the brave stories written on the sands of time by our security forces, so that they too may work with a never-say-die attitude and live their life in a purposeful manner. Our soldiers should be honoured and revered like national icons.

Simranjeet Singh Saini, Jalandhar

Foiling terror attack

Reference to the Army averting another Pulwama-like untoward incident; the whole nation is thankful to all the soldiers and paramilitary officers rendering duty diligently. Terrorism has spread all over the world. If terrorists infiltrate from outside, it is easy for the forces to tackle them, but when they come from inside, it becomes very tough. The government must take strict measures against this scourge for peace and prosperity.

Hemant Khatak, Gurugram

Can’t deny treatment

Refer to ‘Gurugram pvt hospitals deny Covid treatment’ (May 29); it is to the credit of the DC that he took note of the practice being adopted by private hospitals of turning away Covid patients and others with related symptoms of flu. It is not only unethical but also against the law, for hospitals not to treat patients, in spite of having enough infrastructure and competent doctors. The situation is the same in all other cities. Most hospitals have availed of concessions from the government and it should be made mandatory for private hospitals with necessary infrastructure to admit Covid and other patients.

Yoginder Singhal, Ladwa

Tourism and Covid-19

Reference to ‘Inhospitable terrain’ (May 30); amid the pandemic, the tourism industry has been hit the hardest. If this continues, the World Travel and Tourism Council projects a global loss of 75 million jobs and $2.1 trillion in revenue. In India, with the suspension of all visas, tourism has been the worst hit in history. The rising cases will ruin tourism the whole year. The industry contributes almost 10 per cent to the GDP and the revenue may dwindle to negligible. The assistance of Rs 20 lakh crore package should reach soon before the laying off of the staff begins.

Kamaldeep Kaur, Zirakpur

FD rate cut

The sudden announcement of curtailing interest rates on FD is a big blow to a section of society that is solely surviving on the interest earned on the deposits accumulated from retirement benefits after rendering about 40 years of service. This lower middle class, which is paid EPF pension of Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000, are the worst sufferers. But instead of providing some relief at this juncture, the rate cut will cause mental agony, with a question mark on how to survive.

Gobind Ahuja, Chandigarh

Censor CDS remark

Apropos of ‘Defence planning constraints’ (May 29), the CDS must be part of these imports as he himself was COS of the Army. Such off-the-cuff remarks should be avoided by the top brass as it has a demoralising effect on the defence forces. The change in supply line with ‘Make in India’ cannot be done overnight. Also, reducing the quality standard to 70% is very dangerous as lives are lost and costly equipment is scrapped. The statement by the CDS must be censored, more so for his background. The services seem to be taking a political colour to please their masters. As the first CDS, General Rawat enjoys the confidence of the government, and knows which side his bread is buttered!

PS Bhatti, Chandigarh

What’s wrong with ‘India’?

The Constitution of India itself says that ‘India’ is ‘Bharat’, then what is the point in filing a PIL in the Supreme Court? The actual meaning of India is ‘Independent Nation Declared In August (15, 1947)’. So, what is the harm in referring to our country as India? The SC should dismiss this PIL immediately.

RK Kapoor, Chandigarh 

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