Modi’s Manipur visit too late

Apropos of ‘Ailing Manipur needs healing touch’; Prem Dhawan’s lyrics ‘Sab kuch luta ke hosh mein aaye to kya kia’ fits well with PM Modi’s delayed visit to Manipur. The trouble-torn state had a ‘double engine sarkar’, so the responsibility to restore peace was on the Centre and the state government, but both failed miserably. For over two years now, there has been huge loss of life and property. The displacement of many people could have been avoided had the PM intervened earlier. His visit today has come when all the boats are burned. For the warring tribal groups in the state, an Urdu couplet sums it up, ‘Khoon ke darya to jab chaho baha sakte ho, mohabbaton ke gulshan saja kar bhi kabhi dekho’.

BM Singh, Amritsar

Keep surveillance over agents

Refer to ‘Russian tangle’; to curb the allurement of unsuspecting Indians into the war zone in Russia, there is a pressing need for strict surveillance over recruiting agents. No individual or agency should be allowed to send youth abroad without obtaining a prior permit from the government authorities concerned, clearly mentioning job details, country of placement and safety verification. All licensed agents must be told to submit annual reports to the government. Besides, awareness drives must be conducted to educate the common man against falling prey to dubious overseas job offers. Unless backed by stringent monitoring, penalties and transparency, such rackets will continue to ruin the lives of young citizens.

Amarjit Singh, Mohali

Lured by immigration agents

Refer to ‘Russian tangle’; Russia has never been an attractive choice for Indians in comparison to England, Australia, Canada and the US. Those Indians who have gone to Russia have reached there only because of unscrupulous immigration agents. Unemployed youth are being lured with monetary benefits by agents, who have a large network in Punjab and earn handsome commission from their ‘bosses’ who are experts in this dirty business.

Ravinder Kumar Jain, Ludhiana

Antibiotics for animals harmful

Apropos of ‘Antibiotics misuse’; people are largely unaware of this silent health emergency. It is true that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the consequent emergence of super bugs has become a global problem, particularly in India. This is due to the easy clinical availability of antibiotics. In addition to the wide misuse, massive veterinary use of antibiotics is also causing environmental pollution due to the presence of ‘unmetabolised’ antibiotics released through animal excreta. There is also a great need to adopt ‘cleaner’ processes for the treatment of wastewater released from factories making antibiotics.

SP Singh, Kurukshetra

Public awareness necessary

The editorial ‘Antibiotics misuse’ has rightly highlighted antibiotic misuse and rising antimicrobial resistance in India. Public awareness is the best way to control this but it will take a long time. It is a difficult task to accomplish in a huge and diverse country like ours. PM’s outreach programme like Mann ki Baat can be of great help. Over-the-counter sale of antibiotics without a doctor’s prescription should be made an offence. Doctors prescribing antibiotics without a rationale should also be held liable.

Deepak Kapoor, by mail

Don’t succumb to US demands

The US is sticking to the Russia oil rider, even though Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal is claiming progress in trade talks. India should not stop its purchases from Russia under US pressure. On the contrary, India should increase the prices of goods which are essential exports to the US, like pharma products, including syringes, syrups and medicines; electronics, petroleum products, certain passenger vehicles and cargo vans. India can also impose a limit on their quantities being sent to the US. Indian expatriates are contributing 5-6% to the US income tax kitty. Also, the tariff hike has been declared illegal by a US court and the day is not far when Trump will have to take the enhanced tariffs back. India should scout for other markets like the UK, with which it has already entered into an FTA.

NPS Sohal, By mail