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HomeOpinionLetters to the Editor: Sept 20, 2018

Letters to the Editor: Sept 20, 2018

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1) Mega merger in one go

It refers to Secretary in Banking Department in the presence of the Union Finance Minister announcing the merger of three public sector banks namely Dena Bank, Vijaya Bank and Bank of Baroda to make the merged bank third largest bank in India. Even the State Bank of India (SBI) chairperson had acknowledged the ultimate smooth merger of all SBI subsidiaries after facing some initial teething problems.

Instead of implementing merger in phases, the central government should go ahead with the mega-merger plan of all 21 public sector banks in five anchor banks namely Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank, Canara Bank, Union Bank of India and Bank of India in one go. It will reduce large overheads apart from the mega reduction of nearing bank branches with comparatively less business thus, saving huge money on expenses incurred in the banking system.

With secured service or suitable compensation through Voluntary Retirement Scheme, employees of nationalised banks have no reason to oppose the merger of public sector banks. Shortage of staff presently being faced will then be overcome by utilisation of staff found surplus out of the mega-merger plan.

– Madhu Agrawal

 

2) Criminals cannot be leaders

It is much surprising to know that Shambhulal Regar, the man who lynched a Muslim man in Rajasthan last year, will now contest in 2019’s Lok Sabha elections from Navnirman Sena party, Agra. It is surely regrettable that a killer who hacked to death a worker, Mohd Afrazul and had then burnt him brutally, will be representative of people in Lok Sabha. I think, the Election Commission should not allow this kind of criminals to stand in the elections because it causes courage to commit such crimes for being a leader and successful politician. Moreover, a brutal criminal is not trustworthy to represent the nation in the honourable LS house of India.

– MF Qasmi

 

3) Goa power vacuum

Alliance partners of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Goa have demanded a permanent solution to the leadership crisis, following the deteriorating health of the Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who is being treated at AIIMS for advanced Pancreatitis-related ailments. We cannot call it a crisis but a testing time for both the BJP and Congress. The ruling coalition would like to continue in powers, once an interim Chief Minister is appointed in the place of Parrikar. Once such a situation arises, the coalition partners will try to take advantage of the tough situation and horse trading may take precedence. In the wake of such a position, the Governor will have a tough time. BJP has already taken stock of the situation and Congress is waiting on the wings to have a go in Karnataka assembly style. Of course, there will no early polls and one hopes Parrikar coming back to power to clear the stalemate. Congress is trying to count chickens before they were actually hatched. They missed one opportunity and tried their best to make amends for the earlier lapse. Goa power struggle might continue for some more time.

– Nikhil Akhilesh

 

4) Bishop Mulakkal is innocent

The nun of a Kerala convent who has framed Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jalandhar in a rape case is a liar. This nun was having an affair with a married man and planning to leave the convent but again decided to come back when her marriage did not work and the man left her after finding out about her bad character.

When Bishop Mulakkal took disciplinary action against her based on the complaint of the man’s wife, she filed a case on him.

The nun had the opportunity to run away from the convent if at all she was really raped the first time. Thirteen times is not a rape. If at all she was raped, what was she doing all these four years? Only when action was taken against her she remembered she was raped and filed a case against him.

– Jubel D’Cruz

 

5) Harmful medicines ban delayed

It refers to the Union Health Ministry banning 328 Fixed-Dose Combination drugs out of total 349 recommended to be banned by Chandrashekhar Kokate Committee with six more allowed with a restricted sale. The Central government should publicise the complete list with their respective brand names.

Banned medicines include commonly advertised popular medicines like Saridon and Vicks Action-500 which continued to be household names in India for the last many decades. Surprisingly, medicines considered harmful are banned in India years after these are banned in foreign countries with further delay by money-minting drug-manufacturing companies obtaining a stay from the courts even on such aspects. Hence, only medical experts should be seated as judges to verdict on such cases. There should be at least some accountability on judges also at least on such life-affecting matters.

Union Health Ministry should take an immediate decision on the matter once these are banned in other countries rather than delaying in wait for reports of the committees formed for studying the matter. An action is necessary against celebrities advertising the popular medicines without having a knowledge about the advertised medicines. There should be a total ban on the advertisements of medicines in a view of a recently imposed ban of commonly advertised medicines.

– Subhash Chandra Agrawal

 

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

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