MyVoice: Views of our readers 26th July 2024

NEET Physics question contentious

This refers to the SC’s observation on the 3-member IIT Panel’s decision on the ambiguous question number 19 in NEET Physics 2024. The decision of IIT Delhi panel to go with Option 4 as the correct answer to the Question is somehow disagreeable. The first Statement which says “Atoms are electrically neutral as they contain equal number of positive and negative charges” is a correct statement. Second statement which says “Atoms of each element are stable and emit their characteristic spectrum” is a wrong statement as atoms of radioactive elements are not stable and disintegrate based on their half life period. If we consider some isotopes of elements like Carbon, say C-14, it is radioactive and hence unstable.

IIT Delhi Panel’s observation that Option 4, which says both the statements are incorrect is somehow contentious and disagreeable. It should have totally erased the question and 4 marks deducted equally for all the students who may have attempted the ambiguous question as either right or wrong. Then a revised merit list could have been made. By choosing option 4, which says that both the Statements are incorrect as the correct option ,it could be doing injustice to students, who have not attempted question no. 19 in NEET Physics due to its ambiguous nature. NTA should also review its reference books and study material preferences to avoid such confusion in the future.

Parimala G Tadas, Hyderabad

Onus on govt to spend budget fully

The budget presented by the finance minister can be termed people-centric in all aspects. Further, while it paved the path to neutralizing opposition’s narrative and silencing the critics, the Congress party was beating about the bush by saying it was copied from their manifesto. Giving incentives to employers to create jobs, increasing MUDRA yojana loan limit to Rs 20 lakh besides a credit guarantee scheme to MSME sector is a good directional change because it will provide pace for faster growth in the coming years. Further the focus to help the allies TDP and JDU by apportioning a portion of the budget’s infra spend to specific projects in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar can be said a win-win for BJP running a coalition government. By and large, the budget touched every segment.

K R Srinivasan, Secunderabad

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The budget for 2024-25 focuses significantly on the poor, women, youth, and farmers. Additionally, it prioritises the creation of 4.1 crore jobs, education, and skill development. Moreover, special financial packages have been announced for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. The budget allocates substantial funds for every sector to ensure the well-being of the country. But the bottom line is that these allocations must be utilised in the nation’s interest and not a single cent should be misused.

Jakir Hussain, Kanpur

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Given it’s a coalition government, Modi’s key political allies - Chandrababu Naidu of the TDP and Nitish Kumar of the JD(U) - walked away with several projects for their respective states. However, expenditure on welfare schemes did not witness any notable changes, despite the impending state elections where Modi’s BJP will likely start on the back foot. On the taxation front, capital gains saw some tinkering which has not gone down well among most market participants. Especially so with the removal of indexation benefit across asset classes, which has otherwise helped simplify the tax regime. But the abolition of angel tax will offer a wave of relief to the start-up ecosystem just as customs duty reduction will boost local manufacturing ambitions.

C K Nikhil, Coimbatore

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It was inevitable, and was also expected that Bihar and Andhra Pradesh ruled by NDA Allies will bite off a major share of the Union Budget allocation. Exactly, the same would have resulted had the INDI Alliance formed the government in Delhi with the support of Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu. As with every Budget presentation, the Budget presentation in 2024 gave an opportunity for the opposition to criticise the government roundly, and for the government to sing paeans for the Finance Minister, while the common man continues to struggle to prevent his pockets from being torn off.

Dr George Jacob, Kochi