MyVoice: Views of our readers 16th February 2021

Wanted a new law for exports

New agricultural-law for exports is required (not for corporates or brokers eating into farmers' profits). Everyone wants raise in salary / income. Why not farmers? Exports will avoid the main problem of accumulation of unsold / stationary stocks. This way it is possible for the government to buy food grains from farmers for maximum support price / reasonable price and export the accumulated stocks. Also with profits from exports at hand, it is easy for government and farmers TEAM (with sharing of investment burden) to set up long-term warehouses / godowns to store the harvest, buy the vehicles to speedily transport the harvest to godowns to save it from sudden rains, possible are:- crop rotation, latest technology introduction etc.

Many suggest that private investment arrangement in production of crops will nullify loan taking by small farmers via mortgaging assets. In case of spoilt-crop, loss burden is reduced for farmer (as part of loss is shared by the private investor). Money-Amount burden for agricultural loans write off to farmers too gets reduced to government of India.

Madhav P, Secunderabad

Civilised behaviour missing

Your editorial 'Cuss words the new normal'(15th Feb) aptly sums up the decadent state of ever-falling standards of public decorum among large number of our politicians. Not only in politics, even in our ordinary lives, cuss words seem to have become quite common, as frequently evidenced in street brawls, road rage cases, informal meetings and discussions. There is a general tendency to browbeat a person with a differing viewpoint with loud-mouthed rhetoric, provocative gestures and even casting unwarranted aspersions .

Cutting across all sections of society, people generally have no qualms about calling each other names. Unfortunately, this malaise has even afflicted the average household, where arrogant behaviour seems to hold sway. It is high time that due primacy is accorded to polite and courteous behaviour in our day-to-day lives. These values need to be inculcated in children in right earnest in their infancy and both educational institutions and parents can play a highly pro-active role in this regard. In the state legislatures and Parliament, the speakers and leaders of different parties should keep a hawk's eye on the general behaviour of the elected representatives and take appropriate deterrent steps for curbing any deviant mannerism.

Amit Banerjee, New Delhi

India should maintain vigil in Ladakh

The India-China agreement on disengagement at Pangong Tso in Ladakh is certainly a promising start towards peace. However, stabilising the borders could take a long time. The Indian and Chinese troops are expected to stop their forward positions on either side of Pangong in a phased manner. The troops will have to return to the pre-April 2020 position.

However, the surprisingly hasty decision of China to withdraw its troops raises doubts about its intentions. What could have prompted China to take such a hasty decision? It is reasonable to assume that Beijing's strategic move is linked to the US factor of interfering in the Ladakh standoff. In spite of the attempts by both countries to end the row peacefully through dialogue, talks between the two sides remained in a state of complete deadlock.

The takeaways are clear here: China has been moving cautiously since the Biden administration took a decision on the China-centric Quad and indo-Pacific strategy. In the recent telephonic conversation between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, both of them had reiterated their commitment to a strong India-US relationship. China's disengagement could be linked to deterring India from joining the US-led alliance. China wants to lessen the prospect of India partnering with the new administration to form an anti-China coalition.

It is a fact that earning US support is essential for India's standing up to China. China believes that if India-US relationship is further strengthened under Biden administration, it will reinforce the US-led alliance. Notwithstanding the fact that the disengagement is unquestionably positive, India must monitor the progress closely and press for the resolution of all remaining issues including the Depsang plateau.

Venu G S, Kollam