Rethink on nuclear expansion

Refer to ‘Miles to go on the nuclear front’; given the past missed deadlines, India’s target of adding 92,000 MW of nuclear energy by 2047 seems unrealistic. The extension of the Gorakhpur plant’s deadline from 2025 to 2032 exemplifies the exorbitant costs and sluggish execution of such projects. Moreover, nuclear power remains beset with safety risks, delays and reliance on imported uranium, with no budgetary allocation for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). In contrast, renewables like solar, wind and hydropower provide cheaper, faster and safer options. Instead of chasing a mirage, India must prioritise renewable energy while developing nuclear power at a realistic pace.

Chanchal S Mann, Una

Improve implementation

Apropos of ‘Miles to go on the nuclear front’, the article rightly highlights the gap between nuclear energy goals and actual implementation. While nuclear power is essential for energy security, multiple challenges hinder its progress. High costs, regulatory delays and dependence on foreign technology slow down its advancement. India must focus on execution rather than just setting ambitious targets. SMRs offer a promising alternative, but they require government support and policy backing. Without addressing these core issues, achieving nuclear energy goals will remain a distant dream.

Dheeraj Thakur, Sirmaur

Need for comprehensive plan

Refer to ‘Return of the natives’; while the government’s diplomatic approach to avoid a confrontation with the US is pragmatic, there’s a need for a more comprehensive plan. India should not merely talk tough on illegal immigration, it must create an ecosystem that encourages legal migration and provide ways and means to those who wish to go abroad legally. At the same time, it must focus on addressing the drivers of illegal migration — economic disparity and lack of employment. The government’s emphasis should be on rehabilitating deported nationals and ensuring that those sent back from the US don’t repeat their mistake. A nationwide crackdown on agents involved in illegal immigration and a stronger focus on skill development and job creation will go a long way in curbing this issue. Only with a holistic strategy can India avoid the stigma of being linked to nations with high illegal immigration rates.

Sanjay Chopra, Mohali

Human traffickers make hay

Apropos of ‘Return of the natives’; there are scores of challenges that illegal immigrants face apart from losing money. Some sell land, while others take hefty bank loans. Many become casualties to the harsh climatic conditions in foreign lands. Those who manage to reach their destination are forced to live in hell-like conditions, steeped in poverty with inadequate healthcare and ill-treatment at the hands of unscrupulous employers. They are considered a threat to local society in the migrant country. The only ones who gain are the human traffickers. They manage to amass huge sums of money by unethical means. The government must crack down on these unscrupulous elements who make innocent families suffer so much.

Subhash Vaid, New Delhi

Learn from US on deportation

With reference to ‘Are you waiting for muhurat, SC asks Assam on sending back immigrants’; the Supreme Court has rightly pulled up the state government for its failure to deport 63 Bangladeshi illegal immigrants and keeping them in detention centres indefinitely. On the other hand, the US started deporting illegal immigrants within days of the announcement in this regard. Illegal immigrants become a burden on the native population as they benefit from the government’s welfare schemes and consume the nation’s resources.

Krishan Kant Sood, Nangal

No incentives for savings

Everybody has gone gaga over the tax rebates offered to the middle class in the Union Budget. But a major drawback that it failed to address is to give incentives to people who opt for savings under various schemes like the PPF, the CPF, post office schemes and the NPS. In the old times, it was rightly said, ‘It’s not how much you earn, it’s what you save’.

NPS Sohal, Chandigarh