Learn from 1962 war

Apropos of ‘Make pre-emptive moves to ward off China’; our political leaders should learn a lesson from India’s humiliating 1962 debacle. How can the Army leadership be blamed for this defeat when the government of the day failed to address various concerns of the Army? Only a well-armed Army with proper logistic support can be expected to decimate the enemy. The ground reality then was otherwise as the political leadership was more focused on the Panchsheel Agreement and ‘Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai’ rhetoric instead of providing the required infrastructure and weapons to the Army to face the PLA.

Ravinder Singh, Jalandhar

Don’t tolerate hate

Refer to ‘Punish hate-mongers’; it appears that it is either a deliberate failure of the executive or some invisible forces have been preventing the executive from taking action against hate-mongers. Hate-mongers are active everywhere, including in the electronic media, social media and other forums. They need to be curbed before it is too late. It is unfortunate that some hate-mongers are moving freely with no legal action initiated against them. Hate in any form should not be allowed to vitiate our centuries-old culture of ‘unity in diversity’.

Roop Singh Negi, Solan

Protect secular character

Refer to ‘Punish hate-mongers’; the SC’s order to states to take suo motu action against hate-mongers is praiseworthy. Action against the perpetrators of hatred should be prompt and non-selective. India is a secular country. All those found guilty of injecting caste or creed-based poison in society should not be allowed to go unpunished. All three organs of the state — the legislature, the executive and the judiciary — should make all-out efforts to protect the secular character of the country as enshrined in the Constitution.

CS Mann, Una

Justice with employees

In an appreciable step, the Punjab Cabinet has undone the wrong done by the previous government regarding pension. Now, all employees will get pension on superannuation according to the old pattern. Government employees covered under the Civil Services Rules should not be treated differently for pensionary benefits. The Bhagwant Mann-led government deserves praise for doing justice with the employees. But what about the retired employees of aided colleges? These unfortunate people, despite putting in 30-35 years of regular service and contributing their bit to nation-building, are getting neither the new nor the old-pattern pension. Without monetary support from any quarter at the fag end of their lives, these people are forced to lead a miserable life.

NK Gosain, Bathinda

Delightful moment

There was a time when a country ruled many other countries and looted them. The same country had ruled India. Today, the UK’s economic condition has gone from bad to worse. Call it the law of karma: we are celebrating 75 years of Independence and Indian-origin Rishi Sunak has become the PM of the UK. It is a delightful moment for India as the UK now seems to have faith in people with Indian roots. It is hoped that Sunak is able to stabilise Britain’s economy.

Navneet Singh Kushwah, By mail

Back to roots

This time there was a tangible change in the Diwali celebrations in the country. People seem to be returning to their cultural and socio-economic roots. Traditional sweets, lights and gifts were more in demand this year than in the past few years. The visible return to ‘Made in India’ products is a happy and healthy sign for the country’s economy. Reverting to traditional or homemade sweetmeats instead of candies and chocolates is a pleasant change in the celebratory attitude of the youth of the day. The Narendra Modi government’s push for ‘vocal for local’ has borne fruit.

DV Sharma, Mukerian

Another smoky Diwali

All efforts of the state governments, social organisations, educational institutions etc to encourage people to celebrate a cracker-free Diwali were futile, as, like every year, this year too it was a smoky Diwali. I fail to understand why we people are so reluctant to change their mentality. Why are we so casual about the welfare of our environment? At this time of the year, the atmosphere is already polluted due to stubble burning and to make things worse, people burst crackers during Diwali. The government had allotted a two-hour window to burst crackers, but the deafening sound of the fireworks could be heard even after midnight. We need to develop a responsible attitude towards our environment.

Bir Devinder Singh Bedi, Sangrur

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