Salary-allowances, holidays, and work
Ten days holiday with full pay has been declared in Japan from April 27 to May 6 as coronation ceremony of the prince is going to be held. 45 per cent of citizens have expressed displeasure over the same. Public holidays are more in India compared to the other countries. With a population of more than 135 crores, people living in this country belong to different sections. Every section follows different festivals. Even then, nobody dares to raise the issue of reducing a number of holidays. In fact, in government and semi-government offices, one hears discussions on holidays more than on work. Considering salaries as per Pay Commission and public holidays, besides leave taken by employees, side of holidays seems to be more tilted on the scale of holidays. Why are government sectors not privatised? Investment on government employees and work done by them has no comparison. Whatever progress achieved by India so far is mainly due to the private sector. The government sector, however, doesn’t think that ‘We should also make such solid contribution through our work’. It is, therefore, preferred to keep mum on how much we are taking from the country in the form of salaries-allowances and holidays and how much do we return to the country in the form of service.
Shakuntala Baddi
Money making – Main aim of Swimming pool management
Swimming pool tragedies are happening because of negligence and it is time to take drastic steps to avoid such mishaps in the future. Kalyan building drowning case is one more striking example for negligence on the part of the lifeguard. Unless there are lifeguards with proper training and experience, the life of wards going for such training is at high risk. Vasai civic pool drowning is another case negligence. Miserable drowning deaths send the wrong signal among the parents sending their wards for training in pools in the city. Many deaths have occurred inside water and this is a cause for worry. During the summer season, a lot of Coaching Camps are taking place in the city and trainees go inside water without much exposure in swimming.
Gundumani K. Subramani
BJP & Congress manifestos: 2 sides of same coin
The BJP manifesto released a couple of days before the first phase of the elections is nothing but old wine in a new bottle. Pleasing the farmers, abolition of Section 370, the promise of building the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, etc. are the promises from the ruling Party which has been in public domain for long though which were not fulfilled under their tenure in power. They have now been sweetened further as it is election time and most of the parties lure citizens for votes with promises that never get fulfilled. BJP, as well as the Congress manifesto, actually are two sides of the same coin. Politicians remember the farmers and poor on eve of elections but nobody was really bothered when they were dying in poverty and committing suicides.
Politicians make tall promises which are too good to be true. Everybody offers freebies but none give the roadmap from where the funds would be generated. The rich in our country gets richer each year while the poor have nothing to lose as they have already lost all and it is the middlemen who have to shoulder the pain of tax burdens and live a life of apathy. Poll promises and manifestos are a mere piece of paper which we have to overlook in favour of actual work done by politicians. The voters should make their vote count by electing deserving and hardworking honest politicians to the Parliament.
S.N.Kabra
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
