• THE Bharti-MTN deal failed because of the myopic aspirations of the South African government. The deal was wrecked due to its protectionist attitude. Governments can no longer indulge in activities camouflaging inefficiencies of public sector firms. Competition today is intense,with every player planning to grow. Only a proper policy regarding competition,above political interests,can put the country ahead. The Indian government,through its telecom policies,has shown the way for healthy competition to build and sustain. The results are big infrastructure investments and inclusive growth in terms of rural reach. BSNL has learnt it the tough way; so will inefficient players like Air India. Protectionism can only jeopardise the interests of an economy.
Nitesh Kumar
Anand
On native grounds
• INDIANS are proud that Indian-American Venkatraman Ramakrishnan won the Nobel prize for chemistry. In pre-Independence days,C.V. Raman won after having worked in India; since then,all Nobel prize-winning scientists of Indian origin have been American citizens,like Har Gobind Khorana,S. Chandrasekhar and,now V. Ramakrishnan. Monetary benefits,opportunities and working facilities attracted these scientists to the US.
Since the advent of IT and lucrative jobs in the field,the attraction of bright students towards the pure sciences has taken a back seat in India. The government must be aware of this and remedial actions should be taken,so that we will can encourage our scientists. A leading
country like India needs
to feel proud of its
scientific expertise.
K.R.Rao
New perspective
•THE hard-hitting editorial Nothing Good about the brutal decapitation of Francis Induwar by Maoists in Jharkhand (IE,October 7) was timely. The mindless violence perpetrated by Maoists on innocent people is unwarranted and unacceptable. The infirmities of poor governance,topped by corruption and endemic poverty,fuel this upsurge,but those who would like to bring better living conditions must resort to democratic means and dialogue with state governments. Induwar has become one more statistic in the long list of people who have lost their lives for nothing. Economic development and social transformation are the need of the hour; state and Central governments have to look into the problem from a new perspective. A new paradigm is necessary,transcending the mindset that Maoist violence is just a law and order problem
John Alexander
Nagpur
Money in the sky
•Hordes of netas have been conducting aerial surveys of the floods. What do these trips cost,in our age of austerity? Surely they are capable of reading a map? If they arent,they could view TV footage. Is an aerial view essential to ensure efficient relief?
Jaisri
New Delhi
