MyVoice: Views of our readers 17th March 2025

Need to rethink syllabi for schools

The syllabus for all classes at school level needs to be updated in India. And while prescribing the content, it has to be ensured that the subject is comprehensible for pupils. One may believe that the present-day generation is sharp and brilliant to catch up with the unimaginable speed of progress in science and technology. But it is doubtful even the invincible AI can help the students become wise and mature enough to take such substance of knowledge to the heart. Moreover, the lessons in languages should have characters with whom the children of India are able to identify themselves with. Many lessons have foreign backgrounds like the war between Germany and England, the situation of which is alien to our students.

M Chandrasekhar, Kadapa

A stepping stone for future missions

ISRO’s recent success in undocking the SpaDex satellites has marked a monumental leap in India’s space exploration journey. This feat has catapulted India into an elite club of nations with advanced space technologies. ISRO’s scientists have truly “reached for the stars” and achieved the impossible. Their hard work and dedication have “paid off in spades,” making India proud. This achievement is a “stepping stone” for future missions, including the Bharatiya Antariksha Station.

Raju Kolluru, Kakinada

Govt must insist on data localisation

Recently, Elon Musk’s satellite internet provider company, Starlink, signed a partnership agreement with Airtel and Jio to extend its services in India. While we are excited about getting Starlink’s internet service in our country, this move is potentially dangerous due to the absence of stringent laws to regulate data monopolization. Although the Goi has not yet approved of this business deal, we must emphasize the importance of data localization. Otherwise, we will merely become consumers of this service, and the personal data of our citizens will be transferred to the USA, where it could be misused in various ways. The monopoly of data has become the dominant business model of the 21st century. As Yuval Noah Harari has repeatedly warned, the concentration of data in the hands of a few MNCs is creating a new form of techno-feudalism.

Dr Jitesh Mori, Kutch (Gujarat)

IBA must be fair to bank retirees

It is really sad and disastrous that bank employees are once again forced by the central government to go on strike for two days on March 24 and 25. The Union Finance Minister had made a statement recently that they had lots of concern for the bank retirees. But the IBA keeps dodging the issue. If viability was only the point, I do not understand how the central government affected ‘mergers in the banking industry’ for a couple of years and by capital infusion to the public sector banks. Is viability looked at in different governmental offices both at the state level or at the central level and are there any deprivations whether in pension revisions etc. for government employees or even for the RBI employees for that matter ? Periodical pension revisions have happened for government employees and RBI employees, too. The government has to be fair for these bank retirees.

Katuru Durga Prasad Rao, Hyderabad

Freebies will ultimately burden people

CM Revantha Reddy’s admission that the financial situation of the state is not good should open the eyes of other state governments regarding the freebies they are offering. It is surprising that Telangana, a state which was formed as a surplus state in 2014, is now struggling with a mere Rs 5,000 crore in the hands to meet freebies and no money for developmental activities. KCR should explain where all those surplus resources have gone. If so much is invested on the irrigation projects to make agriculture a profitable profession, as claimed by BRS, why isn’t such a massive investment yielding the desired income to the state of Telangana? Revanth Reddy as CM now knows the difficulties in implementation of the freebie schemes. All states are running with the aid of massive loans which ultimately must be paid back through taxes. Unfortunately, the voters are not realizing this truth.

Dr Duggaraju Srinivasa Rao, Vijayawada

Climate-induced agri crisis in making

The early onset of summer across India this year is more than just a shift in seasons - it is a signal of a deeper, systemic problem that threatens livelihoods, economic stability, and the foundations of India’s agrarian society. While rising temperatures have become an almost routine headline, the consequences are now unfolding in ways that should alarm both policymakers and ordinary citizens. Agriculture, the livelihood of nearly half of India’s population, is more vulnerable. Heatwaves have slashed yields of staple crops. These climate-induced economic shocks have the potential to derail India’s growth trajectory. Urgent adaptation measures such as better weather forecasting systems, accessible agricultural insurance, and the adoption of climate resilient cropping patterns should be implemented.

N Sadhasiva Reddy, Bengaluru