MyVoice: Views of our readers 9th Apr 2025
Views of our readers
Centre rubs salt into people’s wound
The government hiked excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 2 per litre each. The excise duty on petrol was hiked to Rs 13 per litre and that on diesel to Rs 10 a litre. International crude oil prices have fallen by 41 per cent compared to May 2014 but government, instead of reducing the prices of petrol and diesel, has increased the central excise duty by Rs 2 each.” The small and big investors in the stock market lost Rs 19 lakh crore in one go due to the deep ‘Kumbhakaran-like’ sleep on the tariff policy that government has come to rub salt into the wounds of the common struggling people. LPG gas cylinders have also not been spared from price hike by 50 rupees.With this the Modi government have put more burden on common people who are struggling for survival.
Bhagwan Thadani, Mumbai
Trump’s vanity costs world dearly
True to form, US President Donald Trump seems to be totally unmoved by protests in his own country, retaliatory action by some countries and global market turmoil with stocks suffering the worst fall on record and he stubbornly refuses to back down on the sweeping tariffs he imposed on imports from other countries. He does not seem to care a hoot for the tariffs he announced dampening the global economy and fuelling inflation to a new high and pushing the world to recession and an unprecedented economic crisis. As the world is bracing for the impact of the tariffs, his claim that a lot of world leaders are ‘dying to make a deal’ with him was a mixture of pity and condescension. Trump, more than any other world leader, exemplifies how politics is too often concerned only with the personal vanities of politicians.
G David Milton, Maruthancode, TN
Sudha Murthy not rooted in reality
The newly nominated Rajya Sabha member, Sudha Murthy, while endorsing the government’s three-language policy, she stated she welcomed it and could speak seven languages. Now, in Parliament, she has proposed that primary school teachers undergo knowledge tests every three years to enhance their skills. But does she truly understand the ground realities faced by teachers? Primary educators work with children from diverse socio-economic backgrounds and are often overburdened with non-teaching responsibilities, both within and outside school premises, assigned by the government. If she advocates skill enhancement through periodic testing, will these teachers be granted sabbaticals—like college lecturers—with full pay to prepare? Often, they aren’t even permitted to take their entitled leave. The situation in private schools is even more dismal, with primary teachers facing harsher conditions and lower pay. Before proposing such measures, Sudha Murthy should step out of Parliament and witness firsthand the challenges faced by teachers in both government and private schools.
N Nagarajan, Hyderabad
Prevention is always the best cure
On ‘The World Health Day 2025’ it is worth recalling that although overall disease burden of India has decreased in the past decade, the incidence of NCDs and injuries has increased. Today, about 5.8 million Indians die annually due to non-communicable diseases occurring due to ‘Lifestyle factors and Urbanisation’; fortunately, a majority of them are preventable. We should undertake all necessary preventive measures (including regular exercise, healthy diet, drugs and vaccines) to forestall health problems from occurring rather than fix them once they manifest. India has scarcity of all sorts of resources, so prevention of diseases is perhaps the most effective and emphatic strategy available for us. Only healthy citizens make a nation healthy and good health enhances our quality as well as length of life.
Dr Sunil Chopra, Ludhiana
Pamban Bridge a technological marvel
The inauguration of high-tech Pamban Bridge across the Palk Strait at Rameshwaram by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a much-needed requirement to the nation which replaced the 110-year-old bridge, decommissioned due to age and maintenance challenges. This new bridge with vertical lift mechanism which allows large vessels to pass underneath is a 21st technological marvel that the country is witnessing for the first time. The Prime Minister thanked the bridge construction team for their hard work and dedication in accomplishing the project – and the credit for designing the vertical lift bridge goes to the Railway Engineer from Vizianagaram district of AP, Nadupuru Venkata Chakradhar of Bhupalapuram village and his team.
K R Parvathy, Mysuru
