MyVoice: Views of our readers 12th February 2024

Enforce age bar on students taking coaching for competitive exams

The decision of the Union Home Ministry to set an age barrier for schoolchildren to attend coaching classes is most welcome. As per the new guidelines, children above 16 and who have completed secondary school examination are only eligible to attend the coaching for competitive exams like the NEET, IIT and the Civils. But, students in Telangana are enrolled in various coaching centres to crack the competitive exams from a young age and schools are also exploiting parental expectations by offering various foundation courses for these entrance exams, from as early as Class 6. They collect additional fees and extend school timings up to 6 pm. Tests are conducted on weekends. This leaves the children with hardly any time for themselves and most of them find it difficult to cope with the pressure. Parents are also to be blamed for the mushrooming of coaching centres. Hope this decision by the Union Home Ministry provides the much-needed relief to the students.

Parimala G Tadas, Hyderabad

Bestow Bharat Ratna on N T Rama Rao

I am one of the readers of Hans India and an infrequent writer to its columns. I wrote a letter published in our esteemed newspaper on 26-06-2020 with caption “Bestow Bharat Ratna on PV”. Copies of this letter were posted to both the Chief Ministers of Telugu States and also to Prime Minister for conceding my (all Telugus) appeal. Only one line I like to mention from my letter: “He was a polyglot, polymath and a proud son of Telugu soil who led full five years term despite having no full-fledged majority in the Parliament, but by winning hearts of opposition parties with his soft, shrewd, stoic and strategic silence”. This proud visionary is more glittering than any jewel.

N Padmavathi, Hyderabad

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It is extremely disappointing and disheartening to note that even in an otherwise hitherto unprecedented huge number of Bharat Ratna awardees’ list, the name of the actor-turned-politician from Andhra Pradesh, N T Rama Rao, could not find a place. The actor-turned-politician, noted for his histrionics, fought for the self-esteem and identity of Telugu people as different from the then so-called “Madrasis,” also established a unique record of coming to power within a short time of announcing his political party Telugu Desam, way back in 1983. With his innovative reforms of making the price of the staple food, rice, at Rs 2 a kilo, he endeared himself forever to the people of the state of A.P.

Seshagiri Row Karry, Hyderabad

None wants to topple Modi government

Apropos bold talk “BJP Puts Congress In Dock” (Hans, Feb 10), first of all the bloc INDIA has lot of ambivalence in its various party colleagues. It seems none wants to replace BJP government. The two tall women Sonia Gandhi and her daughter Priyanka are failing to retrieve the party from crumbling. Rahul’s lengthy walking sprees are not fetching results as evidenced by losing three states recently. Securing Telangana state after Karnataka is not on hyper side. The total narrative in the write-up has summed up all facts and figures and consequences after awarding Bharat Ratna to five eminent personalities by BJP further gained people’s favour. All drawbacks in BJP are being shadowed by showing new avenues intelligently by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. INDIA bloc visibly lacks such tactics.

N Ramalakshmi, Secunderabad

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Your article “BJP Puts Congress In Dock” was a superb article. You rightly said that award of Bharat Ratna to five personalities a head of elections is superb move on the part of BJP to put Congress in dock. Normally, three personalities will receive Bharat Ratna every year and now declaring award to five personalities is a raining of Bharat Ratnas in poll session. The Modi government announcing five Bharat Ratnas is a political game to achieve his avowed goal of winning 400 plus seats for the NDA in Lok Sabha elections. The awards given to Charan Singh and P V Narasimha Rao, the two stalwart politicians from non-BJP backgrounds, is resonant with political and social messaging. But, the awards to the persons should be given for their immense work and not for political gains in coming elections.

Zeeshan, Kazipet

Free and fair polls key to good governance

The PM is promising Utopian society by vowing to end bribery. It will be welcomed by all, if truly done. Reality is actually contrasting, the seeds of bribery/corruption are sown when the politician enters the electoral arena. Those aspiring for tickets need to bribe the party for getting the ticket; they then splurge for election propaganda, entertain workers/supporters for canvassing and, lastly, pay motivation money or bribes to the voters. If elections are corruption-free, then a bribe-free governance becomes a reality.

P R Ravinder, Hyderabad