MyVoice: Views of our readers 29th January 2022

Centre can amend AIS rules

The very nature of an All India Officers category like IAS, ICS, IRS etc., is that they cannot hold their official position favoring any particular state, for that matter, and they are duty-bound to go to any state in the country or even abroad for official exigencies as per the orders of the central government which is a known fact which is why there is such an tremendous competition from meritorious candidates to become an IAS officer etc. It is definitely the prerogative of the central government in posting officers and the TS CM questioning the central government in bringing revised guidelines in that issue is absolutely not correct. Such issues should not be politicised for better and macro level management of the country which is very important to run a gigantic country like India.

Katuru Durga Prasad Rao, Hyderabad

What is wrong with Indian cricket?

The game of cricket is a game of chess and so each and every move counts in the shortest form of the game. Having lost the test series in a one-day fashion, we could have chalked out a strategy to erase the mistakes committed in the longest form of the game. The blame game has started. It all started from the Kohli era. But we blame Rahul for our downfall. We lost to South Africa 1-2 in test matches and 0-3 in one day matches, thus returning from the tour empty handed. Thus, India's T-20 rankings is by far the best, compared to the 3rd test ranking and the 4th ODI rankings. With the result, we sacked certain star bowlers as scapegoats for our poor batting display. How long do we bank on our home-made wins?

C K Subramaniam, Mumbai

Woes of general insurance staff

It is painful to note that employees working in public sector general insurance companies are forced to go on one-day strike across the country on January 28, 2022. The sole reason for this strike was that the time-tested practice in vogue in the industry to settle the wage revision on a par and simultaneously with LIC employees, was violated by the GIPSA (General Insurance Public Sector Association), the umbrella organisation for the four public sector insurance companies. Leave alone settling the wage revision that fell due on 01.08.2017, at least meaningful discussion on it was not held so far for the last 54 months. There are many unresolved issues. Department of Financial Services (DFS) must engage itself with stakeholders to reach an amicable settlement on wage revision.

A Raghunatha Reddy, Kadapa

SC ruling on promotions welcome

The apex court pronouncing judgement regarding reservations in promotions of jobs for SC and STs is a significant step. It has refused to introduce a yardstick itself for the matters of promotions, as it's government's duty to quantify the inadequacy or adequacy of the promotions. That the cadre of particular post to be taken as the unit, rather than entire class or service, for collection of quantified data in relation to promotion sought can be a step in the right direction towards social justice. The state and the Centre have constitutional responsibility to implement affirmative action to the disadvantaged groups in letter and spirit - be it appointments or promotions.

Dr DVG Sankararao, Vizianagaram

Hope Tatas will turn around AI

In a move that involves not just business motives and strategies but also a mix of emotions including from the common public, Tata's after 69 years have taken over the control of Air India. Being India's only national carrier for almost seven decades, it's handover by the government, albeit overwhelming, is inevitable for its healthy sustenance. Air India might not have given fancy experiences to its customers but affordable prices, safety and reliability are its propelling factors for public trust on it. The onus is now upon the Tata Group to set a new and competitive business avatar for Air India while the public still hopes to see its prices within the economical range.

Ramala Kinnera, Hyderabad

India stares at massive joblessness

The agitation by those who have applied for various low-category jobs in the Indian Railways in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh is a reflection of the general state of unemployment in the country, especially in these two most populous states. The indignity of competing against what are very difficult odds — more than 10 million applicants applying for less than 40,000 railway jobs in this case — has been worsened by unnecessary delays, uncertainties and ad hocism in the recruitment process. India needs to handle the challenges in its labour markets. There has to be a policy recognition that we need more salaried jobs in the private sector. This is more difficult to achieve than bringing in private investment, which is increasingly becoming capital, not labour, intensive and, so generating fewer jobs. Efforts must be taken to end the education-employment mismatch.

N Sadhasiva Reddy, Bengaluru