SHEDDING DEBT
Industries Buried Under a Mountain of Debt
This refers to your cover story on debt ( Shedding Debt, June 19). It is a well analysed piece by the author about the mounting bad loans of Indian businesses. The demon of debt has left none – not even the big industrial houses like Tata Steel, Vedanta, and Bharti Airtel – outside its clutches. And the real estate industry is the worst affected. Since time immemorial, debt has always played a negative role. So, both for an individual or a firm, one has to be very, very realistic while dealing with unwanted debt. Definitely, it will take time to trim it but with a right plan, one can achieve the goal of becoming debt-free. B.S. Acharya, Berhampur
Recognising Truckers’ Contribution
This refers to your feature on transportation ( The Case of the Vanishing Drivers, May 22). You have rightly highlighted the problems faced by transporters due to shortage of drivers. Also, the job has many other problems like long working hours, and harassment by police and other authorities. Drivers nowadays are paid well, but mostly they are away from their families for a long time. Sometime it even encourages them to visit red light areas. According to a survey, many of them suffer from HIV. Proper rest rooms should be built on highways, so that drivers can come back to the base station to take rest after a fortnight. The community should also recognise the valuable contribution made by them in reaching supplies to different parts of the country. Vijay Bhandari, Bhandari Automobiles
Best HR Initiatives
This refers to your article in Management Masterclass column ( Fair Play, June 5). It is worth reading. It is indeed a revelation to know that one of the diversity initiatives of a corporate allows women employees leaving for childbirth reasons to return within five years to the company at the same position without any questions asked. It would now become one of the best HR practices. It is very interesting to learn the study results of NUS that indicate companies with more women on boards show better RoE and RoA. You have also touched upon the fact that implementation has always been an issue and a lot of managers see their women team members proceeding on leave more as a favour than as a business obligation. It calls for the CEO’s personal commitment to promote this agenda ruthlessly. T.V. Gopal, Chennai
Most Admired RBI Governor
This refers to your piece on the RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan in the Peoplebusiness section (May 22). I have always admired Rajan for his acumen and knowledge. He has deep insight into various intricacies concerning the global and national economy combined with his simplicity and down-to-earth attitude is also admirable. For a man occupying such a high position and managing deftly the complexities associated with it, they are, indeed, very rare attributes. He has steered the economy well in very trying times. But above all, he appears to have remained a simple and a good human being. No doubt, he is one of the most admired governors of the central bank. Srinivasan Umashankar, Nagpur
Reforming the PSBs
This refers to your article on banking reforms ( Fixing the Fault Lines, May 22). There is an urgent need for the management of public sector banks (PSBs) to become more professional like their private sector counterparts and become more efficient in the process. It calls for big-bang reforms in critical areas of human resource management like performance appraisal, talent retention & acquisitions, compensation package structures, etc. The ultimate objective is that intentions should translate into results on expected lines, sooner rather than later. Srinivasan U., through e-mail
Corrigendum
In The `8,000-crore Opportunity (issue dated June 19), the number in the headline should read `88,000 crore. The error is regretted.