Support SA’s plea unequivocally

Refer to ‘Case against Israel’; South Africa has rightfully accused Israel of indiscriminately killing thousands of innocent people in Gaza. It has appealed to the International Court of Justice, seeking orders to compel Israel to halt the atrocities. With numerous nations from the Global South supporting South Africa’s plea, India’s silence on this issue raises questions. The failure to uphold its G20 presidency commitment to represent the Global South is showing India in a bad light on the world stage. Instead of a tightrope walk, India must unequivocally support the petition for the sake of justice and humanity, regardless of its ties with Israel.

Chanchal S Mann, Una

An engineering marvel

Atal Setu, the longest sea bridge in the country, stands out as a symbol of new India’s engineering prowess. Credit goes to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, led by Nitin Gadkari, for completing the project within the stipulated timeframe. Reducing the travel time from 120 minutes to just 20 minutes is nothing short of a miracle for commuters. One must laud the Modi government for dedicating several state-of-the-art projects to the nation, such as Vande Bharat trains, the new Parliament building, the airport at Jewar and the pan-India network of national highways and express corridors.

Anil Vinayak, Amritsar

Political drama

Apropos of ‘30 crore cards issued under Ayushman Bharat Scheme’; Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana is an admirable programme of the Centre. Undoubtedly, it offers significant support to the downtrodden. However, it is perplexing why the scheme aims at achieving gender parity. Out of the 30 crore Ayushman cards, 49 per cent have been issued to women. Pain knows no gender. Anyone suffering from any ailment, be it male or female, needs healthcare support. Therefore, the push for gender equity as an integral part of the scheme appears to be nothing more than a political ploy.

Raj Kumar Kapoor, Ropar

Congress’ decision irrational

Refer to ‘A hypocritical leap of blind faith’ (Nous Indica); the article is an apt analysis of the Congress’ irrational and unwise decision to junk the invitation for the Ram temple event. It conveys the impression that the Congress is an anti-Hindu party. It could be detrimental to the party’s prospects in the upcoming General Election. While the Congress has declined the invitation citing the event’s association with the BJP government, it is noteworthy that invites for the Republic Day or Independence Day events have also been coming from the Modi government over the past decade. The question arises: if party leaders can attend these functions, why not the Ayodhya event? In a damage control exercise, they are now planning to visit Ayodhya ahead of the ceremony.

WG CDR CL SEHGAL (RETD), Jalandhar

Army officers embody discipline

Apropos of ‘Building ramrod-straight career soldiers’; Army officers embody discipline and uphold the ethics of ‘service before self’. Always ready to make the supreme sacrifice, they exemplify dedication to their duty. The government must maintain constant communication with the Army authorities in order to provide assistance, especially to the war widows. The nation should remain indebted to the armed forces for their sacrifices in the service of the motherland.

Subhash Vaid, New Delhi

Height of irresponsibility

It is highly irresponsible on the part of the Muktsar administration that it did not address the problem of clogged sewers, especially on the holy occasion of Maghi, when devotees from all over the world gather at this sacred place. The angered devotees are justified in criticising the officials and demanding strict action against those responsible for neglecting their duties. It is shameful that devotees had to wade through dirty sewer water on the streets. Although some workers and machines were deployed, they proved insufficient to resolve the problem. Timely and concrete action by the administration could have helped it avoid embarrassment.

Bir Devinder Singh Bedi, Sangrur

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