Opinion Slow offence
Finally,a law for the prevention and redressal of sexual harassment of women at the workplace will see light of day,with the relevant bill having been passed by both Houses of Parliament.
Slow offence
Finally,a law for the prevention and redressal of sexual harassment of women at the workplace will see light of day,with the relevant bill having been passed by both Houses of Parliament. It has been more than 15 years since the Supreme Court,in its Vishaka judgment,recommended guidelines to check sexual harassment of female employees. One fails to understand why it took such a long time for our parliamentarians to enact a law containing the recommendations. Last year,the much-awaited Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act,2012,was enacted,but it still doesnt seem to have been implemented. It doesnt appear to have been widely publicised. Neither is there evidence of police personnel across the country being educated about its provisions and trained to implement it. It is shocking that such laws are enacted so belatedly and even after that,they remain largely in the statute books.
Hemant Kumar
Drawing a line
THIS refers to the editorial,Now stay within the red lines (IE,March 1). The 2013-14 budget,presented by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram,seems to emphasise the principle of spending within the limits of your income,keeping expenditure on a tight leash. There has been little criticism of this years budget,which has been described as growth oriented. It looks after the interests of women,the youth and the poor. The super rich have been taxed more in order to raise revenue. But there are apprehensions that members of this group,which numbers around 42,800,will show their income to be less than Rs 1 crore in order to evade the 10 per cent surcharge. It is not clear whether the government has thought of this problem. Meanwhile,the budget comes as a disappointment for senior citizens,who have not been given much tax relief.
R.K. Kapoor
Chandigarh
THE last full-fledged budget by UPA 2 balances political and economic considerations as it combines fiscal prudence with stepping up expenditure on social welfare schemes. There is no income tax relief either. Increasing defence expenditure by 14 per cent is commendable,as it will enhance the countrys defence preparedness. Opposition parties have called the budget anti-poor,anti-farmer and anti-worker,but most sections have little to complain about,apart from the super rich,who will have to pay more taxes.
Vijay D. Patil
Case for death
APROPOS Fatal error (IE,February 28) by Martha C. Nussbaum,crime is a social problem,so a comparison between India and the US might not be appropriate as the two have different social contexts. But if we do compare the two,the ratio between the number of death sentences and the total population is much lower in India than in the US. Perhaps,in India,the deterrence effect does work. Unless society becomes more mature and until more effective alternative mechanisms are found,the death penalty should be continued.
Ajinkya Bankar
Pune
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