Putting China in its place

Reference to ‘Dealing with Frankenstein’ (July 28); China is becoming a ‘red monster’ with a never-ending appetite for land-grabs and overstated territorial claims. The US is highly equipped to put this genie back into the bottle. India must forge a trade and military pact with the US to move ahead and there is a strong need for a global front to tackle the menace of China. Time has come for India to expand its ties beyond the stereotype. India can aspire to be a natural partner with the US and open its doors for more businesses by turning itself into a vital link for supply chains. Just ignoring China is not going to solve the problem, and it may encourage the dragon to spew more venom.

Ashok Goswami, Mumbai

Hard lessons

Refer to ‘Lessons from Kargil conflict still relevant’ (July 28); it is shocking that we have not learnt any lesson from previous experiences. We never take proactive and preemptive steps. Whenever there is a misadventure by our enemies, we begin to blame our intelligence agencies instead of introspecting on our shortcomings, our lackadaisical preparedness and casual approach. We have to pay a heavy price due to laxity. Sometimes, offence is the best defence. We have to change our strategy and keep our rivals on their toes. China has already usurped our large chunk of territory years ago. We have not made any efforts to reclaim our land.

Deepak Mehra, by mail

Who was at helm then?

The report ‘Fake police encounter that shook state five decades ago’ (July 28) was quite informative. But it would have been better if the writer had included the version of the state government also, especially of the then Chief Minister, on the issue. Neither the present generation knows nor the older generation remembers who was at the helm of affairs at that time.

AK Sharma, Chandigarh

A strong India

Refer to ‘47 more Chinese apps blocked’ (July 28); the decision to ban Chinese apps coming amid the tensions not only shows India’s new policy towards China, but also shows how India has not forgotten what happened in the Galwan valley. In addition, with such strong decisions at the Centre, India is coming out as a global leader which is standing up against injustice and intrusions. Better late than never. India taking security steps for its citizens is highly appreciated.

Surbhi Attreya, Meerut

Unfulfilled promise

Apropos of ‘21 years on, HP braveheart’s family awaits LPG agency’ (July 26), it is true that God and soldiers are remembered in crisis and when the crisis is over, both are forgotten. After 21 years, the government is yet to fulfil its promise. How insensitive is our system. The nation boasts of being the largest democracy in the world, but it can’t take care of its martyrs.

Capt Amar Jeet Kumar (retd), Mohali

Good impact of MGNREGA

It is heartening to know that MGNREGA has softened the Covid blow (In Focus, July 27) in Punjab. It has generated wage employment for more than two lakh rural youth in the present financial year by cleaning sustainable assets like ponds etc. More than 6,200 ponds have been cleaned. In addition to irrigation, these ponds can be used for integrated farming such as duck-rearing, fish-farming and the sides of each pond may be used for growing leafy and other vegetables. Such projects have yielded fruitful results for rural households in some states.

Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad

Bridging digital divide

Refer to ‘Community classes in the open to help students’; the Jammu and Kashmir Government has taken a great initiative of starting community classes in open areas. These classes will be held because students are unable to connect through online classes due to poor Internet connectivity in the state. This step will fill the gap caused by the online classes.

Tanvi nagpal, by mail

Over a cup of tea

Refer to ‘Raise a toast to a cup of tea’ (July 28); in India, the basic ingredient of mehman-nawazi is a cup of tea. The saying ‘over a cup of tea’ embraces in itself millions of meetings, from a small group to gatherings at international level, to sort out, resolve and discuss simple to most complicated problems. Further, the confluence of cold, rain, pakoras and a steaming cup of tea is blissful. It is said that former Defence Minister VK Krishna Menon was very fond of tea and his last words were ‘give me a cup of tea, I think this will be my last cup’.

VK Anand, Chandigarh

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