If you watch television in the evening between 7 and 8 pm you will notice acrimonious debates. A debate doesn’t really take place. The anchor does not allow others to speak and he invariably interrupts during the conversation. Let the viewers listen what others have to say. On the panel, same people appear daily, repeating similar topic and blaming each other obnoxiously.
By irresponsible utterances of our leaders and TV channels anchors we are vitiating the atmosphere, confusing people and spoiling work culture.
News channel anchors, can neither speak Hindi nor English fluently. The word “Baukhlahat” should be included in English dictionary. Their vocabulary and manner of speaking is nauseating. Training must be imparted to anchors for using correct words and expressions as the entire family watches television programme. Information & Broadcasting ministry is not doing its duty as they love crude propaganda.
English, Hindi and Urdu should be taught in schools. Urdu, Sanskrit may be made optional but English must be taught compulsorily. English speaking classes should be aired on television. I learnt English from school but improved in it by reading newspapers. On television, correct language, pronunciation and countenance is very important.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that farm loans will be waived. However, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has asked states to bear the burden themselves instead of relying on the centre. Jaitley said that the Centre would stick to fiscal targets, including fiscal deficit. He had stated earlier that the central government will not participate in states’ fiscal leverage in waiving farm loans, and clearly mentioned that the cost has to be borne by the states.
This year, Uttar Pradesh was the first state to announce Rs 36,359 crore farm debt waiver for small and marginal farmers. Later, Punjab announced total waiver of crop loans up to Rs 2 lakh of small and marginal farmers, and a flat Rs 2 lakh relief for all marginal farmers, irrespective of the loan amount. In Union Budget 2017-18, the fiscal deficit has been pegged at 3.2 per cent, lower than 3.5 per cent in the last financial year. In 2008, the government waived farm loans to the tune of ₹74,000 crore.
The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) committee, headed by former revenue secretary N K Singh, has recommended keeping budgetary deficit at 3 per cent of the GDP in three years to March 2020. It also suggested progressively reducing it to 2.5 per cent by 2022-23. Reserve Bank Governor Urjit Patel has already warned of fiscal situation likely to be going out of hands if states keep doling out funds and may stoke inflationary expectations. RBI keeps a close tab on retail inflation to decide on its monetary policy tools such as the repo rate – at which it lends to banks.
According to estimates, the Maharashtra government will have to provide Rs 1.14 lakh crore to waive off entire loan burden of all 1.36 crore farmers in the state. However, total loan waiver of marginal and small farmers only amounts to Rs 30,000 crore. Then, why did Modi confidently speak about loan waiver. Was it the PM’s ploy to fool people for winning elections?
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)