Within a couple of months when they know that they 'cannot be removed from their jobs', they follow the 'tiffin-box culture'
Those who want a job will be willing to do anything to please the Head of the Library ('Jawaharlal Nehru’s legacy crumbles, literally'). Within a couple of months when they know that they 'cannot be removed from their jobs', they follow the 'tiffin-box culture': This means that they will be punctual in the morning only to wait for lunchtime. After lunch time, they will wait for the end of the day. They repeat the cycle till they retire or are thrown out. These are professional squatters. The trick is to locate the squatter — the Head of the Library or the person above that.
—Bhalchandra Bhandarkar, via email
Why more Banks?
Kudos to Duvvuri Subbarao, governor, RBI who has said that no new banking licence will be given without legal backing ('FM proposes, RBI disposes on licences') The Governor’s assertion that the Apex bank is not in a hurry to issue banking licences to new private banks despite pressure from the Finance Minister is really laudable. We already have umpteen number of banks — both government and private — in our country and a careful study of the functioning of these banks would reveal an inadequacy in expected achievements despite the absolute freedom given to them by both the Finance ministry and the Apex bank.Political interference has crippled the growth of government banks. Also, by virtue of their inherent lethargy, the public sector banks never extend good service to their deserving customers, while the private sector banks earn
their cake by making the middle income group pay heavy interest and penal interest through their nose.
—Tharcius S Fernando, Chennai
Govt versus CAG
The Union Government’s renewed spat with CAG over the 2G Spectrum issue is absolutely unbecoming. The government seems to have malicious glee in the fact that the Spectrum auction turned out to be a flop and that it can claim its stand has been vindicated. This is absolutely ridiculous. The CAG’s report suggests four different estimates of loss, of which the 1.76 lakh
crores is one of the highest. The lowest figure of Rs40,000 crores has also been suggested by him and his report clearly explains the rationale for arriving at those figures. It was the government’s misfortune that the opposition and the media took up the highest figure to beat it with. If the Rs1.76 lakh crores loss is a myth as suggested by the CAG, what about the
zero loss suggested by Kapil Sibal? A Sham?
—VS Kaushik, Bangalore
Terror spreads through money
This refers to the news item ‘Terror outfits investing in stocks: Shinde’. Eternal vigilance in cash transactions is the need of the hour to effectively thwart funds coming through hawala route to invest in stock market, by keeping the intelligence wing on top gear. Terrorists strain their nerves to destabilise our country’s economy through multifarious channels like bomb blasts, circulation of counterfeit currency notes and
other devious practices through their handlers in our country by placing them at strategic points. E-transfer of funds, perhaps, has made the task easier for terror groups to invest in stocks and shares.
—HP Murali, Bangalore
Rahul Gandhi in charge
This is with regards to ‘Rahul Gandhi heads Congress coordination committee for 2014 polls’ (Nov 15). A captain has to imbibe many qualities to become a great leader. He has to have the nerve of a gambler, patience of a saint and the mind of a psychiatrist to become an efficient leader. But Rahul is simply a beginner as far as politics is concerned. Making him in charge of the Congress march to 2014 general elections is a grave mistake. Sonia Gandhi who initially refused to hold any party posts is now aiming for Prime Minister's Chair for his son. The senior leaders in the party may not like this elevation. Moreover, Rahul Gandhi's proved himself an utter failure during the UP elections.
—CK Subramaniam, Mumbai
Ireland's law outdated?
When Savita was struggling with agonising pain at the Irish hospital, it was the duty of the hospital to remove the foetus and save her life. They could have tried to treat the foetus as a premature baby and do their best to save the child. A few years back, a school girl who was raped in Ireland was not allowed to go for abortion. As a result, she committed suicide. These incidents clearly prove that there is an urgent need for United Nations to intervene and compel Ireland to amend their outdated laws based on religion.
—KV Satyamurty, Mumbai
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