MyVoice: Views of our readers 3rd February 2024

Interim Budget ignores harsh realities

Ref: ‘Populism laced with pragmatism – despite polls.’ (Feb 02). The editorial truly justified the last budget of Modi 2.0, an interim budget coming as it did ahead of the General Elections, with vote-on-account on the spendings that are proposed in a big way to come up in the full budget after the elections. There is no attempt made in the budget to make it populist, based on the present trend adopted by the opposition ruled states, in which freebies are the trend and irreplaceable reality. It is heartening that the BJP has lived up to its resolve that sops and reliefs to the general public must be on merit and need based, which will not put needless load on the economy.

K V Raghuram, Wayanad

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The Vote on Account Budget presented by the Central government can be seen as bold budget as it contains no pre-poll sops as expected. The bold and same old excercise is filled with wishful thinking. By promising to chalk out roadmap to Viksit Bharat in the coming full budget in July, the ruling party exudes total confidence of returning to power. However, the harsh realities of unemployment, poor human development indices and effects of dwindling global economy are not being mentioned. The positive thinking regarding fiscal health has touched the border of toxic positivity it seems.

Dr DVG Sankara Rao, Vizianagaram

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There was a time when even excellent budgets were critically analysed by stalwart like Nani Palkhiwala in Bombay stadium where people used to crowd to hear his analysis. A budget whether presented by this or that government is kind of report on how public money was spent, why people should not get a assessment from some one who has nothing to do with political parties. It’s different for people in lowest segment. For them budget is meaningless as a half liter millk which was costing around 20 in ten years reached Rs 30.

N Nagarajan, Hyderabad

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Nirmala Sitharaman announces panel to examine challenges of ‘fast population growth’ to development. A high-powered committee will be constituted to consider the challenges arising from “fast population growth and demographic changes. She added that the committee would be mandated to make recommendations to comprehensively address these challenges in relation to the goal of Viksit Bharat. The backdrop of an indefinitely postponed Census means that there is little reliable data to back up her assertion of “fast” population growth in the country; the little data that exists suggests that the country’s fertility rate is, in fact, falling below replacement levels.

Dorai Ramani Ramanath, Ghaziabad

Why is BJP winning poll after poll?

It is surprising that despite no parameters supporting the view that BJP had fared well in the past 10 years, the party still won in 3 out of 4 state elections. The foreign relations are bad, with Maldives boycotting and Canada and US alleging interference. The prices of essential commodities are high, unemployment is rampant, and crime rates in BJP-ruled states are high. The opposition leaders are constantly harrassed by central agencies whereas politicos of BJP are spared. Everything is cruel about BJP, then how it is winning? Is it due to election manipulation, the likes of Chandigarh Mayor elections?

P R Ravinder, Hyderabad

Lift curbs on drop boxes at banks

To my surprise, today when I wanted to drop a cheque in early hours at my bank before going to work, I could not do so as banks were accordingly instructed to give access to drop box only during working hours. When enquired, the officials quoted RBI saying that the cheques are safer when the drop box is accessible only during working hours. How did RBI reach this conclusion? Was there large-scale misuse of stealing drop boxes or pouring water etc and if so to what percentage, more so when security is provided round the clock? Why should a customer lose a day just because he/she cannot drop the cheques at their convenience?

D Nagarjuna, Hyderabad

A momentous occasion for Hindus

Apropos ‘Prayers begin in the cellar of Gyanvapi mosque hours after court order’. It is an ecstatic occasion that pooja and worship began once again in Vyasji’s cellar in Gyanvapi mosques after 30 years on Wednesday night, following court orders allowing the resumption of worship in the place that was stopped for no reason at all by the then Samajwadi Party CM Mulayam Singh Yadav in 1993. It is said that the premise was barricaded within a few minutes after Mulayam Singh ordered stopping of worship in the Vyas Ji’s cellar, which barely gave any time for the Hindu side. This is a momentous occasion for the Hindu community to happen close on the heels of the Sri Ram Temple inauguration at Ayodhya on 22nd January.

S Lakshmi, Hyderabad