Public warning could have helped lower Punjab floods impact

Apropos of ‘Punjab’s recurring floods call for urgent dam reforms’; the writer has rightly listed short-term and long-term measures for streamlining dam management. The release of water from various dams was necessary to avoid structural damages. However, public safety should also have been prioritised. A warning to people inhabiting the floodplains could have helped. One of the biggest challenges now is to make the fields ready for sowing the next crop as the fields have been inundated with massive silt, sand and sludge. All essential steps must be taken in order to prevent recurrence of such a massive devastation of lives, livelihoods and infrastructure.

Ravi Sharma, Dhariwal

Saluting our armed forces

Refer to ‘Asal Uttar heritage’; the opening of Punjab’s first military heritage site at Asal Uttar is a welcome step. The saga of the valour of our armed forces will inspire the younger generation. The most befitting tribute to the heroes of Asal Uttar, who repulsed a fierce tank attack by Pakistan, would be to not let divisive forces widen the fissures between religions, regions, communities and castes. We need to preserve the legacy of the resolve of Lt Gen Harbakhsh Singh and the martyrdom of Company Quarter Master Havildar Abdul Hamid.

Hira Sharma, by mail

Indian techies’ dreams shattered

With reference to ‘H-1B curbs’; the Trump administration’s decision will affect Indian IT professionals who constitute more than 70% of H-1B beneficiaries. Both Indian IT companies and US tech giants will face difficulties. With chances of recruitment getting reduced, dreams of many Indian techies to work in Silicon Valley lie shattered. However, in the long run, the misstep is going to damage the US itself. Trump should realise that it’s not the Indians that stole American jobs, in fact they helped build the Silicon Valley, AI Labs, Chip Design, Wall Street algorithms, etc and they make significant contributions to the American economy and its social fabric.

Bal Govind, Noida

Outsourcing from India

Apropos of ‘H-1B curbs’; the steep hike in H-1B visa fees will undoubtedly entail short-term pain for Indian techies but could in the long run lead to a renewed boom in outsourcing of knowledge services from India. Several MNCs operate back offices in India known as Global Capability Centres (GCCs) performing a wide range of knowledge processing jobs in IT, finance and pharma. There are more than 1,700 GCCs employing over 1.9 million people. As tech companies slow down onsite hiring of foreign professionals in the US, they could ramp up investments and hiring in GCCs. Indian techies should, like their Chinese counterparts, build, innovate and create in their own country. Entrepreneurs should establish start-ups and usher in a boom in tier 2 and tier 3 cities from Coimbatore to Shimla.

Chander Shekhar Dogra, Jalandhar

A great help to US companies

The H-1B visa is designed to help companies fill vacancies for which American workers with similar abilities cannot be found. The US Congress had passed a legislation creating the H-1B programme in 1990 to “encourage the immigration of exceptionally talented people, such as scientists, engineers and educators.” The Trump administration claims that the H-1B visa has been ‘abused’ by many US companies. Amazon employed the most number of H-1B workers (10,044) as of June 30, followed by Tata Consultancy Services (5,505), Microsoft (5,189), Meta (5,123), Apple (4,202) and Google (4,181), according to federal data.

Yash Pal Ralhan, Jalandhar

Will GST amount be refunded?

The GST council’s decision to exempt health policies from taxation is a pragmatic step and it was long awaited since health is not a luxury product. However, many insurance companies charge premiums for two to three years together at the time of buying the policy with a GST amount applicable for the total period. The issue that has not been addressed is whether the GST paid alongwith premium prior to September 22 shall be refunded on pro rata basis or not.

Yash Khetarpal, Panchkula