Forget me not

Sir — Most of us have inadvertently left our possessions behind at airports or train stations at some time or the other. Items like, say, a briefcase full of important papers or a power bank for charging our phones are often forgotten in the mad dash to reach our designated seats on time. However, what is rare is the recent incident where a couple left their baby behind in front of an airline check-in counter. Such forgetful parents can perhaps use modern technology like proximity sensors to keep track of their children and prevent the events shown in movies like Home Alone from coming true.

Shreya Dutta Guin, Calcutta

Fiscal outlay

Sir — The hike in the repo rate to 6.5%, ordered by the Reserve Bank of India, to try and tame inflation is in sync with the broad expectations of the market (“Repo rate raised to 6.5%; panel split 4:2”, Feb 9). However, inflation forecasts are still high amidst a falling growth projection of 6.4% for the next fiscal as opposed to the 6.8% predicted in December 2022. As a result, home loans and other borrowings are set to get costlier as many floating rate loans are linked to the RBI’s repo rate. It is good news for depositors who can expect higher returns from their investments.

N. Sadhasiva Reddy, Bengaluru

Sir — By raising the benchmark repo rate by 25 basis points — the sixth increase in this fiscal year — the monetary policy committee of the RBI has affirmed its intent to implement tightening measures to control persistently high core inflation even as retail inflation has begun to ease. Given the uncertainties surrounding the global economy due to geopolitical tensions, the RBI has its work cut out to perform a balancing act between ensuring that its rate hikes do not derail economic growth and controlling retail inflation.

M. Jeyaram, Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu

Sir — The RBI has followed global trends by raising its benchmark repo rate by 25 basis points. The MPC has predicted a modest growth rate of 6.4% for the gross domestic product for the next fiscal. At 5.72%, the December 2022 figure for retail inflation was a few notches lower than it was throughout the year, which might be worrying for some sectors as falling inflation is inimical to steady growth.

R. Narayanan, Navi Mumbai

Barbaric act

Sir — It is reprehensible that Shashikant Warishe, the journalist who had reported on the protests against the setting up of an oil refinery in Barsu, was allegedly mowed down by a strongman with links to the Bharatiya Janata Party (“Glare on journalist’s killing”, Feb 9). Maharashtra police must investigate the case with utmost urgency and punish those responsible.

Jayanta Datta, Hooghly

Sir — It was shocking to read that Shashikant Warishe was murdered for covering the protests against a proposed refinery and petrochemicals factory in Barsu. The revelation that Pandharinath Amberkar, a supporter of the refinery and a BJP worker, reportedly murdered Warishe just to teach him a lesson is proof of political parties attempting to hide the truth. It is no wonder then, that India ranks as low as 150 out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index 2022.

S.S. Paul, Nadia

Parting shot

Sir — The steady increase in milk prices in recent times has affected common people’s household budgets. Milk is a significant part of the Indian diet. The recent hike in the price of Amul milk, coming a couple of months after the Rs 2 increase by Mother Dairy, will put the product out of the reach of the poor.

Abhijit Roy, Jamshedpur