Collision corner
In a major collision between a bus and an auto 21 people died and 32 hurt as the vehicle fell into well in Nashik. The bus dragged the auto long and made the accident more fatal. It is one more serious mishap involving state transport bus and there is need for more caution on roads. Rash and negligent driving and overloading in vehicles is the major reason for the fatal accident. More and more heavy vehicles are getting involved in road accidents and the RTO and license issuing authorities should be very vigilant for issuing license. Serious accidents of this nature is crippling the travelling public and passenger safety is challenged due to more and more accidents. It is an eye opener for travelling public as well as transport authorities to make sure of safe travel in long distance journeys.
C.K. Subramaniam
Welcome opening of SPMCIL counter for sale of commemorative silver-coins
Much-needed and long-awaited first-ever sale-counter for commemorative silver-alloy coins is opened on January 20 at office of Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPMCIL) at Jawahar Vyapar Bhawan (Janpath – New Delhi) with nineteen such coins put on direct sale without any advance-booking. Sale should be through credit and debit cards also.
But just one sale-counter in a big country with population of 135 crores is not at all enough. Sale of commemorative coins and coin-sets should be facilitated at counters of select branches of private and public sector banks by giving them sale-commission right from date of issue of commemorative coins abolishing age-old practice of advance-booking of coin-sets by sending demand-drafts for getting coin-sets several months after issue of coins.
Furthermore faulty practice of having nominal face-value of silver-coins like rupees 100 or so for coins having metal value multiple times higher must be changed so that silver-alloy coins may be available on face-value like was system on first-time issue of silver-alloy coin in free India on 02.10.1969 on occasion of Gandhi birth-centenary. Face-value can be kept about twice the prevailing metal-value in the coin. These coins, never-to-come in actual circulation, then should be sold in serial-numbered sealed plastic-cover to prevent chances of fake coins. Sale of silver in round-shaped coin-design by private manufacturers then should be banned. All such steps will be a boon for coin-collectors, and provide huge net revenue-earning to government because such higher-value coins never come in actual circulation. Coin-sets should be sold in only one highest-priced category with issued coins in all denominations for affording coin-collectors.
Madhu Agrawal
Save country’s esteem
It is disconcerting that close on the heels of a number of critical international statements and parliamentary resolutions, the government is bracing for six scathing resolutions on both Jammu and Kashmir and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019, that have been filed by an overwhelming majority of members in the European Parliament. It brings disgrace to the country. That’s why Union government should find a strong resolution.
Mahmudul Hasan
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
