Limited loans

Several banks are advertising that they provide educational loans to students without insisting on security. This does not app...

Several banks are advertising that they provide educational loans to students without insisting on security. This does not appear to be entirely true. While not insisting on security, the banks insist that a personal guarantee be provided by the student8217;s parent or guardian or anyone else. This condition prevents poor students from taking advantage of loan facilities as they do not have the wherewithal to procure such personal guarantees. In the case of poor students, banks could perhaps provide loans insisting that the original certificates be vested with them by educational institutions until the loan amount is repaid by the students. Educational authorities should cooperate with banks in the interest of their students.

8212;N.S. Venkataraman Chennai

Watery politics

8226; Your editorial 8216;Captain as Terminator8217; July 14 sums up the challenges posed by Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh through this latest attempt at self-preservation. While the government at the Centre and the Congress party have the responsibility to put the captain in place, the opposition has to rise above politics and see that such adventurism is never again repeated by another state chief minister. The people of the affected basin in Punjab need to be informed so that such cheap populist measures do not give the perpetrators any political gains.

8212;Ratna Magotra On e-mail

8226; All rivers are national property and hopefully the Punjab Termination of Agreement Bill will never become an act.

8212;Premalalitha On e-mail

8226; Bihar is flooded whilst Punjab and Haryana are facing drought. If this is not a case for interlinking of rivers, then what is?

8212;Jagjit Singh Abu Dhabi

Systemic virus

8226; This refers to your editorial 8216;Infant Index8217; July 12. That out of 1175 children admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi, 142 died in the month of June is not only baffling, but is also a sad comment on our healthcare system. If the Safdarjung authorities could seek to dismiss these deaths as 8220;normal8221;, it is not only due to the fact that they have got used to such tragedies occurring in their hospital frequently, but also due to the feeling that they are not answerable to anyone. I shudder to think about the pathetic conditions prevailing in other government-run hospitals when things are so bad in one of the premier public hospitals of our country.

8212;V. Rajesh Mumbai

Not by religion

8226; Reservations on the basis of religion would be a huge setback to any plan to foster a merit-based society. The fact that reservations are being made for Muslims will only result in greater polarisation between Muslims and non-Muslims. This is such a retrograde step by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. The first mistake he made was to announce free power for farmers. And now this. In the 21st century it is ridiculous to identify oneself on the basis of caste or religion.

8212;Abdraheem Saied On e-mail