This is with reference to ‘The debt story less told’ by KP Prabhakaran Nair (February 13). Many farmers take loans for the higher education of their children, marriage of their kith and kin, health reasons and even for addictions such as drinking. The electronic media has exposed them to a higher standard of living in urban areas and they want to follow suit, spending beyond their income. Thus a comprehensive cause analysis of high indebtedness could lead to a more focused approach to solve the problem in addition to the steps suggested in the article.

YG Chouksey

Pune

We need to address the issues related to farmers, the backbone of our economy. Industrialists and corporates have confederations and associations and can lobby with the rule-makers. Unfortunately there is no forum for farmers, who have to fight for Minimum Support Price every year. The banks and agricultural universities, along with scientists ,can help farmers meet ends.

Agriculturists are self-driven entrepreneurs, whose knowledge and experience need to be assimilated and recorded for better use and better productivity. Big corporates get reduction in interest rates, loans are waived or enjoy the benefit of CDR mechanism. But farmers have to depend upon the monsoon, the politicians’ mercy for power, and the rulers’ benevolence for MSP.

SA Srinivasa Sarma

Hyderabad

EVMs zindabad

This refers to ‘The unbeatable box’ by Subimal Bhattacharjee (February 13). Indubitably, the electronic voting machine (EVM) is one of the best things that has happened to the Indian democratic process. EVMs reduce the time both in casting votes and declaring results. Transporting EVMs is easier as they are light and portable. They are environment friendly too as tonnes of paper can be saved. Illiterate people find EVMs more voter-friendly than ballot paper system. The EVM has become an integral part of our democratic process and will win hands down any poll/exit poll conducted with regard to its utility. Half-a-dozen countries are buying India’s EVMs.

CG Kuriakose

Kothamangalam, Kerala

Do away with DDT

This refers to your editorial, ‘Freedom to distribute’(February 13). It is worth considering doing away with DDT and treating dividend as income in the hands of the recipient. However to arrest leakage of income to the government, it is suggested to make the dividend distribution subject to deduction of tax at source. Investors who are not in the tax bracket may be asked to declare as in the case of bank deposits. With the demat facility, submission of a single form should be enough to avoid deduction at source by eligible investors.

S Kalyanasundaram

Email

This refers to ‘The politics of urban angst’ by R Srinivasan (February 12). The word ‘angst’ is originally a German word meaning different things to different persons — a feeling of anxiety, guilt or regret, especially about the condition of the world one lives in.

As rightly pointed out AAP’s appeal lies with this middle class sandwiched between those who rolling in wealth and those on the lowest rung of the ladder.This is also the reason why a large segment of the middle and lower rung bureaucrats are attracted to the AAP.

In the truest sense of the word ‘Aam’, the party must address a wide spectrum of economically disenfranchised persons from the rickshaw puller to the section officer in a government office.

To begin with, Kejriwal and co may address the basic question of bijli-sadak-pani-naali and will certainly succeed in metros like Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata. When basic necessities of day-to-day life are satisfactorily met, aspirations will soar. And that is the time the real strength of the AAP will be put to test.

KP Prabhakaran Nair

Email

Erratum

b In the picture accompanying the report, ‘TVS Srichakra gathers momentum’ (Auto Focus, February 13), the designation of P Vijayaraghavan was wrongly attributed. He is Director, TVS Srichakra Ltd. The error is regretted.

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