MyVoice: Views of our readers 18th June 2021

Enable livelihoods of AP fishermen

This has reference to your editorial 'Improving the lot of fisherfolk'. The mechanised trawling ban imposed in several states in the country, must not be viewed as 'evil', but a necessary reality enabling the fishermen to harvest the sea wealth for a long time to come, in a systematic and scientific way.

The interregnum of sixty two days trawling ban is to help the seas to rejuvenate and replenish in terms of marine wealth since monsoon time is regarded as the breeding time of several fish and prawn varieties that are in demand domestically and globally. These practices are strictly imposed by states having seas as the border, and fishing as the main profession for the majority of people living in these areas. India's Exclusive Economic Zone does not permit other foreign trawlers fishing in the EEZ, taking advantage of the trawling ban imposed by India.

As for improved and better facilities for fishermen of Andhra Pradesh, in terms of marketing of the produce, improved and advanced methods of trawling in high seas is a legitimate requirement about which the government must seriously think of as other states are doing in improving the lot of fishermen, by way of acquiring fuel efficient trawlers with large cold storage capacity to keep the catch fresh before it reaches the shore to fetch attractive price.

K R Parvathy, Mysuru

Cuba's medical system impressive

The Moot Point column - Lessons from Cuba's health card - by Ramu Suravajjula (June 16) is comprehensive. I don't know if Modi was referring to Cuban international solidarity and brotherhood philosophy of late Castro while he proposed 'One Earth-One Health' but it'd have been better if he'd called for Cuban doctors in the Covid crisis as they served in the Western countries when the first wave of it wreathed havoc. South African President's announcement that his country would nominate the Henry Reeve Int'l Contingent of Doctors for 2021 Nobel Peace Prize will be unanimously acclaimed as it is on par with Medicine sans Frontiers(MSF, Doctors without Borders) that had won the Peace Nobel. Cuban efforts for vaccine for Covid-19 are equally praiseworthy but their working with China for pan-Corona will be viewed with scepticism as China is not in good books of the world.

Dr T Ramadas, Visakhapatnam

Have uniform pricing policy

The prices of all essential commodities are generally high. Inflation rules the roost. Added to this, fuel prices keep rising every now and then. Prices of fuel both petrol and diesel have crossed the 3 figure mark. Prices have risen many times during the months of May and June. Taxes like Excise duties, VAT, etc gets added to the base price. Taxes are close to 70 per cent . It's common knowledge that spiraling prices of fuel has a cascading effect and will help in jacking up the overall inflation.

The Govts attribute the price rise to a rise in international crude oil prices but, ironically when the prices of crude gets reduced, the benefit is not passed on to the beneficiaries. This is because the Govt to offset the supply crunch perhaps doesnt wish to pass on the benefit to the consumers. The Govt at the centre, I feel, should come out with a "One nation, One pricing policy" on the lines of it's much touted " One nation one ration card", and " One nation , one Vaccine price (for Covid). This will surely reduce the prices of fuel to a limited extent and bring in uniformity and transparency throughout the country and help the consumers to a great extent.

N R Raghuram, Hyderabad

Keep away from IPOs for now

Many of the issues listed during the year are currently trading at a steep discount. Therefore it makes no sense to subscribe to the many IPOs which are open for subscription or going to be open in the near future. Greedy promoters have priced them high leaving little or nothing for the small investor. It would be better if the small investor purchases the shares from the secondary market after the prices have stabilised. The grey market is being manipulated to lure the investors, and are not an accurate estimate of the intrinsic value of the share. The public must keep away from these overpriced offerings to teach the promoters a lesson.

Anthony Henriques, Mumbai