Any neutral observer has to concur with the points cited by the writer on the progress and achievements of the Narendra Modi government (“Taking stock, two years on”, May 23). To add to this, governance has been largely corruption-free. On the debit side of the balance sheet are Mr. Modi’s coveted “Make in India” and other development programmes that have still to gather momentum. There is also the unfulfilled promise of bringing back black money stashed abroad.
R. Badri Narayanan,
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The initiatives in different sectors are mediocre. Aadhaar may have curtailed leakages but the writer has failed to mention how it also compromises the privacy and security of an individual. He has also ignored the lack of job creation in the organised sector, the fall in exports, manufacturing, curbing of social expenditure and less investment in human capital formation.
Yash Gupta,
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The biggest achievement is that the government has curbed corruption in almost all sectors of the economy. In 2015, India was ranked 76 out of 168 countries in Transparency International’s ‘Corruption Perceptions Index’. The causes for corruption include excessive regulation, complicated taxes and licensing systems, an opaque bureaucracy and a lack of transparent laws and processes. If corruption levels in India are reduced to the levels of those in developed economies such as Singapore or the United Kingdom, India’s GDP growth rate could increase substantially.
K.M.K. Murthy,
Secunderabad
The point about much having been done to reform higher education and the social sectors appears to be an overstatement of reality. The status of women in higher education may be a little better but reforms in general are a setback for those of us in higher education. A PhD is not allowed under guides who have retired from the government or aided sectors, which deprives several aspiring scholars of valuable experience. How can this be allowed when there are private universities that are able to grant doctoral degrees? In this digital age, what is so sacrosanct about guides being resident or full-time on a campus? The University Grants Commission has not been releasing grants on a regular basis citing a funding shortage. The much-acclaimed RUSA (Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan or National Higher Education Mission) has yet to deliver the goods. The National Assessment and Accreditation Council works in an unsatisfactory way as the accreditation process works slowly and colleges suffer. In Kerala, MGNREGA could have been utilised in food production and the cleaning of waterbodies. The article appears to be skewed and partisan.
J. Prasant Palakkappillil,
Thevara, Kerala
There has been little or no action on the price increase in essential commodities, the economy is in a state of flux and the middle class is having a difficult time. The working class feels emaciated with the draconian amendments to labour laws and increasing attacks on job safety. The cut in social sector allocation — clear in the Budget — is another attack on the marginalised sections. It is surprising that the writer mentions MGNREGA as it was disliked by the Bharatiya Janata Party despite having been introduced and successfully implemented by the United Progressive Alliance regime. The Jan-Dhan Yojana and insurance schemes hardly impart the soothing touch. In the absence of entitlement, any talk of empowerment is meaningless.
J. Anantha Padmanabhan,
Tiruchi