MyVoice: Views of our readers 02nd Dec 2025

K’taka’s Vemula Rohit Bill is most welcome

Apropos article on Karnataka’s Vemula Rohit’s Bill. Let me at the outset call it the most welcome step towards reducing, if not totally stopping, campus discrimination against marginalised students. Hats-off to the Karnataka government with a hope that the Telangana government would emulate as Rohit was driven to suicide in Hyderabad Central University. Hopefully, such a Bill will be a mandate in all other states to streamline research or higher education towards preventing caste and gender bias and at the same time to focus on the woes of scholars, whose dissertations are not adjudged suitable for publication in journals and some put on hold the grant of long overdue Ph.D. Invariably, the sufferer must be either a marginalised or a woman scholar.

An Ambedkarite Students Association functionary, Rohit was subject to massive onslaughts from the right wing ABVP Students Association. A promising Chemical Engineering MTech student and an activist of the Radical Students Union Nambala Kesava Rao was branded as a ‘killer’ of a ABVP student at REC, Warangal, and had no other option than to embrace the gun and Naxalism. Had equality and uniformity in governing all categories of students prevails on campuses, Rohit should have survived and come out in flying colours. The Karnataka Bill surely pacifies his soul in rest. His mother’s indefatigable quest for her son’s justice may find solace in this Bill.

Dr T Ramadas, Visakhapatnam

Delhiites need relief from ‘air pollution

This refers to your editorial ‘Air pollution adversely impacting the country’s health and wealth’. It is a pathetic reality that no government that has been in power in Delhi NCR was successful in curbing the toxic air that the citizens of the capital have been breathing with disastrous side effects. Normal and breathable air is every citizen’s right, but Delhiites are denied this advantage. The stagnant and poisonous climate of Delhi with dangerous AQI as well as other cities cannot be controlled without some drastic and far-reaching anti-pollution measures that could in the long term derive desirable and tangible results.

But such measures are a must to save the present and the future generations to live – grow – and lead healthy lives, without their lives being cut short by heart, lungs ailments, and other health issues like cancer which has become a common and endemic reality with the middle aged and the elderly today. The nation’s priority must be a healthy environment in which people can breathe fresh air. This is more crucial than the impressive GDP that the nation can register.

K R Venkata Narasimhan, Madurai

AP, TG govts must streamline fee reimbursement structure

The Guru-Shishya governments in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are sailing in the same boat as far as fee reimbursement is concerned. The earlier AP government headed by the YSRCP ensured timely and full reimbursement of tuition fees without fail. Similarly, the BRS government in TG also arranged proper fee reimbursement without many hassles. The TDP government in AP and the Congress government in TG seem to be finding it hard to raise or earmark funds for this purpose. That students are hitting the roads demanding release of funds for fee reimbursement, speaks volumes about the present government’s predicament in TG.

The RRF scheme launched successfully by Y S Rajasekhar Reddy for the benefit of SC, ST, OBC students should apply on a priority basis, as school and college managements are not ready to wait inordinately for the government to release funds. As a result, it has become a ritual of sorts every year for students to find resources to first clear their tuition fee arrears so that they could pursue studies or obtain certificates/ degrees without any hassles. The two state concerned governments should ensure timely reimbursement of tuition fees.

Govardhana Myneedu, Vijayawada

Bhatti deserves pat for clearing pending bills

This is with reference to release of Rs 707 crore to staff for clearing their pending bills, thanks to Bhatti Vikramarka’s positive moves. The finance minister has also assured to release one more DA in December. Hopefully this assurance would be fulfilled after the local body elections are done with.

Dinanath Shenolikar, Hyderabad