Opinion Full circle
The time is ripe for the government to take elaborate and convincing reform-oriented steps in the agriculture sector.
The time is ripe for the government to take elaborate and convincing reform-oriented steps in the agriculture sector. Agri-sector reforms are due for a long time and resisting them any further may result in an agrarian crisis which may escalate to unprecedented levels and hinder Indias growth. As theres talk of a second green revolution,its necessary to ensure this is achieved as soon aspossible; this time it should cover a larger area and keep in mind environmental repercussions.
Swapnil D. Nila
New Delhi
Eye for an eye
This is in response to an article by Soli J. Sorabjee (Depressing scene,IE,January 2). Qisas or eye for an eye is one of the main laws of Islam for maintaining law and order in society. Islam advises victims of crimes to forgive the guilty and makes the Qisas necessary only if the victim or his/ her relatives refuse to forgive the offender. As far as the case mentioned by Sorabjee is concerned,I must say that the offender violated the human rights of his victim and intentionally threw acid on his face,disabling him for life a damage that no financial or social punishment can compensate.
Feridoun Fathi Mogh
New Delhi
US,not us
Is it not the other way round that its neither India nor the US but Pakistan thats employing the same old tricks (Clueless on Pakistan,IE,January 14)? Its difficult to agree if the writer means India should help the US save its face in Afghanistan. The US may have helped Europe overcome the consequences of World War II. But didnt the so-called superpower try to dominate the world by both stealth and might? To John Foster Dulless,our non-alignment was immoral,and the US proceeded to build Pakistan,first by stealth and then by might. Gradually the US undermined democracy in Pakistan. In 1971,the Nixon-Kissinger duo brazenly sided with Pakistan. During the Kargil war,Bill Clinton found Vajpayee hard to crack,and so pressured Pakistan.
Yet,he didnt like our self-reliance in our space pursuits and forced Russia to stop supply of cryogenic engines. Now,the same US expects India to provide first-aid and drive ambulances in Afghanistan so that it can save its face and make its exit. Who says India is clueless on Pakistan? The US is clueless,and its self-centredness is in danger of being undermined by its greatest ally.
P. Kanaka Durga
Purposeless?
This refers to N.S. Sisodias Planning without a strategy (IE,January 14). Its indeed a matter of concern that India,which claims to be an emerging global power,doesnt even have a clear national security strategy. In the absence of such,we certainly cannot have a clear military strategy. Therefore,whats of greater concern is how we are spending taxpayer money on modernising our armed forces without any clearly defined purpose.
D. Lakshman
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