Supreme Court is right Not yet late for solution At the cost of the poor
The caustic attack by TV news anchors, columnists and a jurist on the Supreme Court judgment to compulsorily play the National Anthem in cinema halls before the start of a film in no way echoes the sentiment or opinion of the Indian population. Their attack only demonstrates their revolting mindset.
What repulsion may befall a person if she pays homage to the National Anthem by standing for 52 seconds before a movie? Surely, this is not the first instance when the Supreme Court has vowed to uphold the fundamental duties enshrined in Article 51A of the Constitution. This ought not to be the last.
Singing the anthem within manageable and reasonable precincts, as was done in theatres in the 60s and early 70s, instills nationalistic pride irrespective of race, creed, colour, caste, sex or religion. Practices followed elsewhere in the world lend support to the top court’s directions.
In Mexico all schools and universities are supposed to honour the national flag. A regulation was passed in Tokyo requiring school and board officials to record the names of teachers, who did not stand and sing the National Anthem; in Italy, citizens are required to stand and show respect to any National Anthem. In Thailand, where love for the National Anthem is fervid than most other countries, it is played every day on TV at 8 am and 6 pm; it is also played regularly in government offices and before film screenings. In the United States, the convention is clear: Whenever the National Anthem is played, all individuals should face the flag/the source of music and stand at attention with their right hand over their hearts.
This game of “freedom of my freedom” may prove catastrophic for the people of India because a person might use it as a ruse to not take medication, drive his daughter to school or start his morning rituals.
Pranav Chawla via email After the Opposition, it was the turn of the highest court to question the tardy implementation of demonetisation. The Supreme Court quizzed the Attorney General, much to his discomfort, whether the decision to withdraw nearly 86 per cent of currency was taken under “impulse” and if the government had “properly applied (its) mind” while undertaking the drive.
The currency crisis is the inevitable consequence of a sudden decision by a cabal around the prime minister. More than 30 days have elapsed since the announcement of demonetisation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and there is still no indication of when citizens will be able to draw their money whenever they wish to, without a limit set by banks.
With nearly 80 per cent of demonetised notes having returned to the banking system, the government is no longer boasting of making a “surgical strike” against black money. It is not too late for Modi to consult experts find a workable solution and arrest the economic slide.
S K Choudhury Bengaluru The discounts announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to provide incentive for a switch to digital transactions will compound the problems being faced by the poor due to demonetisation. The shift from the war against black money to the transition to a cashless economy was an afterthought to validate the demonetisation of ~500 and ~1,000 currency notes. The prime minister spoke not a word on cashless economy on November 8 when he announced demonetisation.
Incentives for e-transactions end up rewarding tech savvy sections of the population at the cost of the country’s poor. If the government thinks it is easy to go cashless without hurting the poor it is living in a dream world. For all the hype surrounding demonetisation and Digital India, they do not promise to better the quality of life of the poor people.
G David Milton Maruthancode