Opinion Keeping the law

He has made a watertight case against tampering with the AFSPA,and enlightened us about the Justice Jeevan Reddy Commission report on AFSPA,of which he was a member.

The Indian Express

September 17, 2010 02:29 AM IST First published on: Sep 17, 2010 at 02:29 AM IST

This is with reference to V.R. Raghavans article Dont blame the law (IE,September 15). He has made a watertight case against tampering with the AFSPA,and enlightened us about the Justice Jeevan Reddy Commission report on AFSPA,of which he was a member. Unless the government wants to make a scapegoat of the armed forces,there is no case for a review of the AFSPA. An army man,when asked to shoot,shoots to kill after all,the armys mandate is to secure the country from external aggression as well as internal subversion. When government property is destroyed and people pelt stones at the security forces,are the armed forces,police and CRPF personnel expected to be mere spectators?

Prasad Malladi

Nidadavole

Get real

Separatist Hurriyat leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani,Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and their ilk are cashing in on the tragic deaths of the Kashmiris who violated the curfew,the stone-pelters and others who were clearly victims of the crossfire. Their motive is to further their vicious propaganda and pro-Pakistan agenda. No right-thinking person would condone such fatalities in police firing. But let us face a bitter reality: when violent mobs are out on the streets mocking the law,what are state agencies supposed to do? How can any civilised,democratically elected government even consider dialogue with this radical brigade that advocates violence,lawlessness and hate?

M. Ratan New Delhi

A nice nest-egg

Your front page news report EPF board recommends 9.5 per cent interest for 2010-11 (IE,September 16) made for interesting reading. Its a Diwali bonanza on the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi,a jump of 100 basis points which must be applauded. In these times of inflation,the extra income earned should bring cheer. However,the self-employed and housewives fall under the Public Provident Fund (PPF) where the interest rate is 8 per cent. People block their funds for 15 years and make contributions each year. The government should increase these rates too. Long-term savings need to be encouraged with bonuses and higher interest rates to encourage people to save for old age.

S.N. Kabra

Mumbai

Profit and loss

The EPF boards recommendation of 9.5 per cent interest on the Employees Provident Fund is a cruel joke. The fact is that the fat profits earned by banks are nothing but exploitation of the common man who has little alternative but to deposit his hard-earned money with them. The government had given 14 per cent DA to its employees,so it accepts that an article costing Rs 100 in the wholesale market in January 2009 would cost Rs 114 a year later. As against this the banks give 6 per cent interest for one year and long-term schemes like EPF and PPF give 9.5 per cent interest. Worst still,the interest on short-term deposits will be taxed. What a joke!

M.M.P. Kala Dehra Dun