Apropos of ‘COP26 & Hindu belief system’, the Indian way of life has been an integral and organic part of nature as an entity. The Indian culture is called ‘aranya sanskriti’ (‘aranya’ means forest). In the Indian context, ‘man’ also comprises animals and nature. All native cultures are rooted in nature of their respective lands. The Sangli sentiments of the common people have fallen prey to capitalist greed. Balance between need and greed will have to be found by taking into consideration the realities of the day. Unless the real culprits are made to understand the gravity of the crisis in a language that they understand, no tangible results can be expected: the polluted Yamuna is an example.

DV Sharma, Mukerian

AAG’s appointment

Apropos of the report ‘Punjab Dy CM’s son-in-law appointed Additional AG, Oppn calls it nepotism’, Tarun Vir Singh Lehal was rejected earlier for this post with the remark ‘experience criteria not met’. Has he acquired the requisite experience now? The appointment was based on the recommendation of the ‘interim’ Advocate-General APS Deol. Much hue and cry was raised over the appointments of the kin of Fatehjung Singh Bajwa, Gurpreet Kangar and Rakesh Pandey. The same rule applies now.

Upendra Sharma, by mail

Long wait for salary

Apropos of the report that the Punjab health staff is sans salary for five months, it appears that liberty to work from home during the Covid pandemic had caused the hardship. But that reason (or excuse) has ceased to be valid for quite some time now. It is good that the state health minister has assured early disbursement. However, in the past also, government employees in Punjab had not been getting their salaries on time for long spells. Lack of funds, in the absence of Central assistance to the state, has generally been cited as reason. Under the circumstances, while the Centre should not starve the state for its share of finance and revenue, the state government should, on its part, cut expenditure where not required. That is possible only if the ministers abstain from lavish spending on feel-good hoardings for self-eulogy.

KL Noatay, Kangra

Populist quota

The Haryana Government has taken a wrong decision to reserve 75% jobs for locals in the state and private sector. It is a populist step to please young voters to win their votes for electoral benefits. It is neither going to boost job prospects nor stimulate industrial progress. It is a regressive step because Haryana will not be able to hire talented persons from other states. It will also discourage foreign investors in the state. Haryana has tried to follow the policy of the Andhra Government which is facing legal hurdles in implementing its industrial policy. Moreover, the policy runs counter to the right to equality of opportunity. It will lead to constitutional difficulties. Haryana should reverse its decision as it is not going to benefit the stakeholders.

KRISHAN MALHOTRA, by mail

Falling short

Pakistan and New Zealand cricket teams had done their homework well against the Indian team and exploited the conditions to their advantage. The captaincy of Virat Kohli was also found wanting as his selection of players for a particular match and shuffle of the batting line-up affected the confidence of our players. Needless to say, it was unfortunate that the Indian cricket team failed miserably when it mattered the most.

Harish Malhotra, Sangrur

Not well played

It was a severe jolt to see India lose their first two matches of the ongoing T-20 World Cup, first to arch-rival Pakistan, and then to New Zealand. It became a matter of interest for Indian cricket lovers, whether Afghanistan could defeat New Zealand, thus paving the way for India to secure a semi-final berth. But this did not happen, leaving fans deeply disappointed. In the inconsequential match against Namibia, the Indian team management could have given a chance to those players who had not been given a chance to play. It was hurtful to see an experienced player like Bhuvneshwar Kumar sitting in the pavilion and watching the proceedings of the match like a spectator. The selectors should ensure that whenever a player is selected for a tournament, he should be given a chance to prove his worth, otherwise it is of no use to select players only to make them sit outside the ground.

Ravinder Kumar Jain, Ludhiana

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