Opinion Vulnerable officers
The suspension of a young female bureaucrat by the UP government because she dared to take on the powerful sand mafia proves
Vulnerable officers
* The suspension of a young female bureaucrat by the UP government because she dared to take on the powerful sand mafia proves,once again,that honest public servants always get the short end of the stick because they go by the rulebook. In cases of the victimisation of all India service officers by state governments,the Central government,despite being the appointing and cadre controlling authority,is powerless to do anything. Court and tribunal intervention is the only way in which such vulnerable officers can seek redressal. While the opposition has condemned this particular incident because of the media scrutiny its receiving,its doubtful if they would have done anything differently had they been in power. In recent years honest public servants have faced fates much worse than suspension. The murders of whistle blowers like Yashwant Sonawane,Satyendra Dubey and Shanmughan Manjunath point at the need for legislation to protect whistle blowers.
Hemant Kumar Ambala
Tribal rights
* This refers to Niyamgiri hills are our god. If you mine here we will die (IE,August 1). The closely watched dispute between Vedanta and the tribals living around the Niyamgiri hills will set a crucial precedent. No one in the nearby villages wants mining to take place. This is not only due to the tribals religious sentiments,but also because mining threatens their survival because it endangers the environment in the concerned area. Though development is needed,people in decisionmaking positions must consider local peoples sentiments and their rights. The judiciary was right to force the government to consider the views of the tribals.
Lenin Maxwell
Defending FSB
* This refers to A misnomer called food security by Charan Singh and Arvind Virmani (IE,August 1). It is true that the government should pay more attention to healthcare,drinking water and sanitation. But that is not an argument against the Food Security Bill (FSB) in itself. The FSB will act as a social safety net for weaker sections,to help them in case of sudden unemployment,natural calamities etc. If the government is worried about its fiscal burden it is free to raise more money through taxes. Anyway,Indias tax to GDP ratio is around 15 per cent,which is much less than several capitalist developed countries (the corresponding figure for the US is about 25 per cent).
Muhammed Majaz T.M.
New Delhi
Build consensus
*This refers to Reform and resistance (IE,August 2). The PM is right about reforms requiring consensus. Unfortunately,his own party president seems averse to them. No wonder then there is a lack of political consensus. How can support from other parties be forthcoming when there is a lack of support from within the Congress itself? Besides,what has the Congress done to elicit the cooperation of the Opposition? The PM must build consensus by talking more often.
Sadashiv S. Apte
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