MyVoice: Views of our readers 5th February 2023

Central Budget robs the poor to feed the rich

The latest Union Budget presented by the Union Finance Minister fails to satisfy most of the sections. The Budget, it looks, aims at phasing out welfare schemes in due course. It is welcome but it should be done after empowering the people not to depend on assistance from any quarters. Whereas withdrawals of welfare schemes are taken up when more and more people are being pushed into poverty, a huge section is stripped off jobs, unemployment is increasing to a threatening level and the plight of the poor and the Middle Class is worsening day by day.

A look at the budget proposals dominated by reductions will make it easy to understand the game of robbing the poor and the Middle Class to feed the corporate section. When the country is holding a shameful place in the global Hunger Index (107th place among 121 countries) our Union budget effects reduction in the following manner: food subsidy 31.28%, Nutrient-based subsidy 38.13%, Food Corporation of India 36%, PM MicroFood Processing Enterprises Scheme 29%.

When 30 farmers are said to commit suicide everyday reduction in allocation is in the following manner - Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna 31.46%, Fertilizer Subsidy 22.25%, PM Krishi Sinchi Yojna 16.70%, Urea Subsidy 14.92%, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi 11.76%.

When 29% of youths are longing for jobs, billionaires are earning Rs 2.5 cr per minute. Reduction in Budget allocation in this regard are in the following manner: Labour & employment 44.98%, Aatmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana 64.48%, MGNREGA scheme 32.90%, Investment in Joint Ventures and PSUs 11.20%.

When 6.3 cr Indians are said to be pushed into poverty every year thanks to the health care costs, our Union budget reduction is like this: PM Ayushman Bharat 34%, Education and Empowerment 32.84%, Central Sector Schemes (Including fellowship for students) 46.35%, Environment 18.38%, R&D 13.49%.

Other remarkable reductions are like this: PM Awas Yojna 11.58%, Umbrella Programme for development of Minorities 66.30%, Petroleum Subsidy 75.38%, LPG Subsidy 61%, Rural Development 13% Pension 4.20%.

It is worth remembering that these reductions are affected when 2million people are virtually living on the streets and 41% of the wealth is owned by just 1% of the rich.

When blatant facts are like this, slogans like 'India's emerging economy, India is the third largest economy' are raised to numb the victims. The middle class and the poor are targeted to sacrifice more for the benefit of the preferred few rich.

A benevolent character is missing. The Working Class known as the real wealth creating section and the poor and the middle class known as the market creators are made to suffer further. This will have its serious impact on the production sector also, in due course, defeating the purpose of pushing lakhs of crores in their exchequers. It is time to think and act.

– A G Rajmohan, Anantapur

Right budget at right time

Former Vice-President in the write-up has rightly called the first budget of 'Amrit Kaal' budget because the vision of budget lays thrust and development. Finance Minister scored better by bringing significant changes in personal taxes and small savings schemes for women and senior citizens allocation thereby giving ample scope for savers to earn more. The huge impetus to key sectors by providing 10 lakh Infra capital in 2023 is a good directional change because it will not only help growth but also provide pace for faster growth in the coming years. Another major development is railways getting a huge boost in capital investment. In fact, the extension of the credit guarantee scheme to MSME, the biggest creator of jobs, is a master stroke because it will enable credit flow to this critical segment of economy.

Creation of National Financial Information Registry (NIFR) is a fundamental reform for enhancing credit creation in the economy will enable PSBs to enhance their efficiency in lending. By and large, the budget can be said a right budget at the right time.

– K R Srinivasan, Secunderabad

Exorbitant fares on Vande Bharat

Vande Bharat Express train from Hyderabad to Vijayawada will only save 45 minutes of journey in comparison with the nearest superfast express but rates almost 100% extra. Classic example of infrastructure not catching up with the speed of train. The Vande Bharat is no doubt a superfast train but what is needed are more tracks, more robust tracks that can withstand high speed travel, better crowd management, better signalling system and a more efficient use of railway resources.

The strangest factor is the insistence of Indian government to run these as day trains. For most travelers, day journeys are a sheer waste of time. The entire day is wasted. I would prefer night journey even if it takes four hours more. Night jouneys save valuable working hours.

The argument that berths are not available in Vande Bharat is simply an excuse. Many people travel in semi-sleeper push back seats and in excess of 12 hours in buses and they are okay with it. One way of getting around this issue is to have trains with only four compartments. That way Vande Bharat trains can run at night. Again 130 kmph is not breathtakingly fast, most Rajadhani clock 100-110 km per hour.

It is a good concept but needs better planning on the ground. Also it is better to take off the food service. It is leading to littering. Even the airlines have given up the concept of food service. Food is on demand and on need basis only. It is not factored into the ticket price.

– Dr M Anil Ramesh, Hyderabad

Adding fuel to fire

The three fire accidents in less than a year point out the failure of our fire safety system. While structural irregularities and absence of non-functioning fire equipment are commonly noted, obvious gaps in rule enforcement and lack of regular audit are adding fuel to fire. In all, over twelve people died in the three accidents. There is an utter disregard for even minimal fire safety precautions as availability of water connection to firefighting appliances. It has already been proposed to change the existing fire safety rules within the ambit of Fire safety Act. Under the present conditions, we have to ask all commercial establishments to submit annual fire certificates. In Covid time, there are fire accidents in more hospitals because of short circuits. This confirms that regular audit has not been carried out. Inspections are occasionally conducted. Training should be imparted to fire personnel. A strict vigilance is to be conducted in avoiding fire due to short circuits.

– TSN Rao, Hyderabad

Wrong notions of Indian secularism

Subhashini Ali, a member of CPI, declared that secularism is absolutely essential to keep the people and country together (Midnight's Children, THI 27th January). Ignoring the historic role of communists in persistently trying to break the country, this view represents a poor political thinking which unfortunately cuts across all ideologies. Has any major discourse ever wondered why 'fundamentalism' is increasing in the country despite a vigorous implementation of 'secularism'?

One cannot use history to extract revenge. However, Indian brand of secularism did weaponize history. It whitewashed the past wrongdoings done in the name of Christianity (the Goa Inquisition for example) and Islam in a tacit acceptance of the idea that the contemporary Christians and Muslims are somehow related to the past brutalities. The same charity did not apply to Hindus as the social sciences and humanities simply continued with the colonial missionary narratives. A 'pure' Vedic religion which degenerated into the present caste and atrocity-ridden 'Hinduism' through a vile patriarchal 'Brahmanism' remained the only understanding across centuries from the earliest traveller reports to present day academia. Secularism in this sense became an abuse of the majority where it told the Hindus that it will 'never forget and never forgive.' It became an appeasement when it told Muslims and Christians that it forgets, forgives, and blanks out its history too. That has been a terrible solution for post-independent India.

Indian traditions are not religions and understanding this as a first step would go a long way in harnessing solutions. Secularism is a disaster for non-Christian cultures which do not have religions in the definitional sense but only various traditions and whose solutions for co-existence are entirely different. We were dealing with our multiculturalism in a far better way but the fascination for the west superseded rational political thinking post-independence. Today, everyone is surprised at the intolerance and the rise of 'Hindu fundamentalism' but many serious thinkers have shown that it is precisely the Indian brand of secularism which is the problem. Converting Indian traditions into religions as a first step and then applying secularism as a solution to achieve harmony can never succeed.

– Dr Pingali Gopal, Hanamkonda

Opposition parties in AP on a yatra spree

It seems a walkathon season has begun in AP as the national secretary of main opposition TDP Nara Lokesh has left his permanent residence in Hyderabad to start his 400-day walkathon from his father's constituency Kuppam on Wednesday. The BJP has also planned its own version of walkathon. JSP president has got ready to campaign by getting a specially designed vehicle christened Varahi. Prathyeka Hoda Sadana Samithi (PHSS) leaders led by its leader Chalasani Srinivas with the students of left parties has launched 15 yatra from Anantapur, demanding SCS to AP and other commitments as per the AP Bifurcation Act. Congress also planned its walkathon from Visakhapatnam in the name of Hath Se Hath Jodo yatra.

It is crystal clear that all these yatras except that of PHSS are eyeing the 2024 elections. It is ridiculous on the part of TDP, Congress and BJP to take up yatras as in their own words, it is to dethrone the present government, saying the people of the state are suffering from inflation, unemployment, lack of development, misusing of police power and others. The TDP which ruled the state for nearly 15 years has no face to launch padayatra to learn the problems of people as it totally failed to solve them when it was in power. The GOP which was in power for several years and having divided the state unscientifically is now shedding crocodile tears and planning its yatra.

The BJP which has been ruling the country continuously for the last 8 years and showing stepmotherly attitude towards the state is embarking on another yatra. The JSP is an organisation which doesn't know what the real problems are is raising hue and cry by saying it is to end to demonic rule in the state. However the YSRCP which is ruling the state ought to adopt its strategy to overcome any dissent in the public triggered by all these yatras and it must give people-friendly governance rather than give scope to vendetta.

– Pratapa Reddy Y, Tiruvuru, AP

A glorious era ends on tennis court

It refers to "Australia Open: Sania bids adieu to Grand Slam career as runner up in Melbourne." A glorious tennis career which started at the age of 18 at Rod Laver Arena in 2005, also ended there.

It has been a happy hunting ground for her as she has won both Women's doubles and Mixed Doubles Australian Open here. Though it would have been a fairytale ending to her career if she had won the mixed doubles final with Rohan Bopanna, but then it does not take away anything from her excellent career. During her almost two decades long illustrious career she won 3 Doubles and 3 Mixed Doubles Grand slam and rode to World No. 1 in career ranking in Women's doubles.

Sania is only one of the two Indian women to win WTA Tour Title and only one to be ranked within top 100 in Singles. She was appointed as the UN women's Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia, besides being named in Time's Magazine's 2016 list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2014 she was also appointed Brand ambassador of Telangana state. What a sad state of our talent pool that there is not a single young women tennis player in India who can take her legacy forward.

– Bal Govind, Noida

Sub-cadre mentality among IAS & IPS

The way the central service officers (both IAS and IPS) are behaving in various states (Babus must stop pleasing political bosses, Editorial, 4.2.23) makes one wonder whether such services are needed to run the administration. Gone are the days when meritorious, socially conscious young ones joined the central services and worked for the society and stood against the political bosses. There are very few who are socially inclined and the rest of them are all after plum posts. These cadre officers after their allotment and their initial field posts are slowly developing affiliation to a particular political party, which is an open secret. This is what I call a sub-cadre mentality. Thus we have Tamil Nadu where the central officers have a sub-cadre tag of DMI, AIADMK. Like many other negative issues this sub-cadre mentality of officers started in Tamil Nadu and spread to other states. Now we can see the officers in Telangana forming TRS/BRS sub cadre officers who are more loyal to the ruling family rather than to the rules. In Andhra Pradesh the IPS sub cadre is more visible. When TDP was ruling there were many IPS officers who served in that party sub cadre and now with YSRCP as ruling party new set of officers cropped and are in key positions under the YSRCP sub cadre. A former IAS officer and now a columnist Avesh Shukla has endorsed the existence of this sub-cadre mentality in his Himachal Pradesh cadre. This sub-cadre mentality is so rampant across the states in the country and that is hitting the fairness in the administration. Despite all the protections offered the officers are degrading themselves by habitually pleasing the political bosses.

– Dr Duggaraju Srinivasa Rao, Vijayawada

II

What are the bureaucrats doing in AP? The IASs in the State of AP are not caring for the Constitution, Constitutional provisions or their legitimate functioning. Day in & day out, they are receiving strictures from the Judiciary for their arbitrary, unconstitutional and biased functioning. With such sort of illegitimate functioning, they are putting the sanctity and greatness of the IAS services at stake and in dark. Even from the Hon. Apex Court also these Indian Administrative Service have received adverse comments, for their anti-people functioning.

In fact, sorry to state, that for such sort of delivering the duties simply, the IAS cadre are not necessary for any state. Even small rank officers can carry out the duties in tune with the tuning of their political bosses. In our Country, the top IAS cadre have certain sanctity and high importance to run the Governance. But in AP that is not seen. It clearly appears that even the Association of IASs is not bothered or concerned about the downfall of their cadre in AP.

– TV Nageswara Rao, Visakhapatnam

Facile talking by govt on Adani stock rout

The Adani exposure had rocked the stock markers and share prices of the group tumbled badly in the last few days, notwithstanding explanations by the company. The opposition is demanding a JPC probe and the government is trying to wash off its hands by saying that it has nothing to do with the Adani issue. However, it requires no big general knowledge to see that the meteoric rise of the group occurred during the BJP regime and it enjoyed the patronage of the government in a big way. The international rating agencies like Moody's and S&P global ratings have raised concerns about the conglomerate that could have financial ramifications.

Meanwhile, giant stalwarts like FM Sitaraman and SBI Chairman have descended on the scene to defuse the crisis by saying that everything is fine. The FM stated that government owned institutions don't have OVER EXPOSURE in Adani group stocks. The SBI Chairman says that the exposure is only 0.88% of its total lending. The fact remains that the bank had lent Rs 28,000 crore to Adani group, which in absolute terms is huge. Some intellectuals are trying to create an impression that attack against Adani is attack against India. This is not so. Adani is a businessman and when grave irregularities are exposed, they need to be probed to protect the interests of investors.

– Vinay Bhushan Bhagwaty, Hyderabad