Staying fit and healthy is important
This is in reference to the opinion column Viruses mutate but we can be smarter with better hygiene
(KT, Feb 24). Good hygiene practices reduce the spread of infections and viruses. As stated in the column, the most important way to reduce the spread of viruses is by washing hands. The other effective methods that can help slow down or stop infections and virus attacks are getting the appropriate vaccine, staying at home if you are sick, using single-use tissues and disposing it immediately.
The Centres for Prevention and Disease Control state that adults can shed influenza virus one day before the symptoms appear and five to seven days after the onset of illness. Hence, simple precautions and following some basic principles of personal health and hygiene, good food safety techniques, can reduce the onslaught of infection.
Whether you are young or ‘young at heart’, your main aim should be staying illness-free, fitter and healthier. —Jayashree Kulkarni, Pune
India needs reforms to unleash its growth potential
Without rapid improvement in infrastructure to a level comparable with China, India’s GDP growth is likely to remain range-bound between 6.5 per cent and 7 per cent over the next two-three years.
Indian government also needs to focus urgently on training to upgrade labour force skills comparable to international standards of major industrial economies. Graduate apprentice schemes and appropriate vocational training ought to be prioritised in key sectors if India desires to rapidly achieve the manufacturing sector’s 35 per cent contribution to its annual GDP growth.
In India’s rural agri-economy, consumer spending needs an immediate boost. Putting cash in the pockets of the vast rural population is the quickest way to boost consumption and hence attain the GDP level well beyond 7 per cent in the fiscal year 2021-22. The recent Indian budget did not do enough for rural agro sector’s revival of growth.
Indian finance minister needs to think of out-ofthe-box imaginative policies if India is to achieve a sustained growth rate of at least 8.5 per cent per annum over the next three to five years. India should seek and recruit experienced economic advisers. If such high-calibre advisers are not available locally, a global search must start now and top salaries must be paid for such highly skilled foreign recruits.
SEE FULL VERSION OF LETTERS IN WWW.KHALEEJTIMES.COM
—Rrajnikant A. Chande