Supporting the elderly For healthy debates

Nitin Desai’s article, “Universal basic income or social security” (July 18), lays down the debate in a focused way. He is right when he says that at present individuals cope with unemployment, large health expenditure, old age and other emergencies by falling back on traditional systems. This vulnerable section of the population, which includes the widows living in Varanasi and Vrindavan, needs immediate care.

The department of social welfare could be entrusted with designing financially sustainable schemes for the elderly in these two cities. Nothing makes people prouder in their old age than to be able to support themselves. They have to be engaged in developing soft skills, managing small-scale industries that pay well under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan like manufacture of soaps, toilet and fabric cleaning material, moping apparel and moping clothing, napkins, dusters, brooms, fabric softeners and anti-bacterial solutions. These items would be in good demand as the country takes a big step with Swachh Bharat.

Besides, a couple of films on the success of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in the above mentioned manufacturing units for elderly workers and newspaper clippings lauding their work would instill a feeling of dedication and exuberance among widows and raise their selfesteem. Papad making is another area where the elderly can be employed.

These activities after proper soft skill training by local trainers would supplement their income and keep them engaged.

N K Bakshi Ahmedabad realistic option for the bank” puts paid to the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) claims of issuing new banking licences for expanding banking services in the country. This, despite the RBI diluting the definition of a bank branch to a banking outlet that can even be exclusively operated by business correspondents/banking agents.

Second, if we accept that NBFCs like SCUF are providing important service by financing informal sector enterprises, such mergers are likely to extinguish important sources of finance, which banks generally shun due to reasons of size or reach.

Third, as correctly indicated, IDFC Bank was a respected name in infrastructure finance (and even had excellent sector knowledge). Would it be too early for IDFC Bank to turn around its core competencies?

Fourth, the present management of IDFC is making tall claims and trumpeting the merger. Is it not fair for shareholders that a new management guides the destiny of this bank? Any missteps may adversely affect the merged entity in its infancy. For sometime now there seems to be a race in the electronic media to initiate debates by inviting leaders of political parties and others. Curiously, the same set of people, who have expressed their views frequently on a particular issue, are invited repeatedly by most of the channels. Also, the debaters are mostly based in Delhi.

Instead of carrying the debate forward fairly, some of the news anchors become spokespersons of the ruling party. In some cases, the panellists start shouting all at the same time and none of them can be heard by viewers.

Wouldn’t it be better if the anchors did not express their views but only conducted the debate in a constructive way by inviting experts rather than spokespersons of political parties? There is no dearth of intellectuals who know the subjects at length and can express their impartial and constructive views. That would make for healthy debates.

S K Khosla Chandigarh