Profitsandsocialcosts Thinkaboutpeople

In “LIC stake in ITC: courting trouble” (April 27) Shyamal Majumdar rightly questions the wisdom in seeking court intervention to prevent public sector insurance companies from investing in ITC’s tobacco business. Tobacco business does increase social costs in terms of the ill effect on the health of smokers and a dent on their useful spending. Passive smoking hurts non-smokers also. In order to atone for putting funds in such a corporate activity two alternatives are possible. A good portion of the profits earned by the insurance companies here could be diverted for the creation of social welfare institutions to absorb the social costs (like cancer hospitals).

Second, in their capacity as the biggest shareholder in ITC (it comes to about 32 per cent) the government could persuade ITC to go beyond the statutory spending on corporate social responsibility activities. Some of its funds could be used for R&D efforts aimed at developing products with reduced harm to the health of the addicts.

A little discussed issue is the ethical dilemma experienced by the employees who believe that smoking is detrimental to the health of the society and yet have joined the company for economic reasons to produce and sell a product best avoided in public good. Of the 3816 employees of ITC, quite a few may be going through this conflict. The company should think of the ways to help them resolve this cognitive dissonance such as by highlighting how the company is ploughing back a part of its profits for public service activities and encouraging them to be a part of it. Y G Chouksey Pune

It is not unknown that the cigarette lobby has not exactly covered itself with glory in regard to its stand on the relation between smoking cigarette and cancer. If one reads the most famous book on cancer called “The emperor of all maladies” by Siddhatha Mukherjee one will know how the cigarette lobby had been successfully spreading misinformation that cigarette smoking does not cause cancer over a long period of time. Oncologists who ceased to tell the falsehood on behalf of their employer, such as Ralph Moss, were sacked the very next day. There is no clear proof or even a study that smoking beedi causes as much cancer as cigarette. If the government charges very high rate of tax on the poorest man's fag, they will simply smoke unbranded beedi on which there is no tax and cannot practically be a tax. The government must be credited with some common sense that for decades it has not been influenced by the most outlandish argument of the cigarette lobby. Without a lobby behind it, it is not practicable that hundred oncologists will come together to write in double quick time to Prime Minister on this issue. Sukumar Mukhopadhyay

New Delhi This refers to “Broom swept aside” (April 27). It is as much the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) win as it is an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) loss, which has Delhi as its fort. It is indeed a referendum on the AAP and its governance model in last two years in Delhi. AAP started with a bang in 2015 and promised the moon to Delhi voters but it has gradually been slipping downwards. Punjab, Goa and the recent Rajouri Garden (Delhi) by-election losses and now the MCD elections loss is testimony of this gradual slide. It is not an exaggeration that AAP has disappointed Delhi voters.What is more unfortunate is that rather than introspecting the AAP and Kejriwal chose to look for scapegoats.

BJP’s victory puts a lot of responsibility on the newly elected municipal counselors. Delhi being capital city, it is paramount that it is showcased in the best way possible. Issues concerning the people of Delhi like civic amenities, cleanliness etc should be addressed on a priority basis. And I agree with your suggestion that like in the past all three corporations should be united for better focus and results and a better co-ordination between Delhi government and MCD is the need of the hour. Hopefully, AAP will learn a lesson and put people's interests over and above everything for the next three years.

Bal Govind Noida