Strike a balance

Sir — A busy work schedule can have a negative impact on an employee’s life. Recently, a worker at a company in Thailand complained about being too busy to be in a relationship. This led to the company coming up with a novel policy — workers are being paid to go out on dates during office hours and the office would also cover their subscriptions on an online dating platform for six months. Such an initiative may boost well-being and increase productivity. But there should also be in place equivalent measures for those not interested in a relationship but are in dire need of a work-life balance.

Mallika Guha, Calcutta

Tough stance

Sir — The Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, has been invited by his Pakistani counterpart, Shehbaz Sharif, to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s summit in Islamabad in October (“Closed mind”, Sept 6). But it is unlikely that Modi will accept the invitation given the recent comments of the external affairs minister, S. Jaishankar, that signalled a shift in India’s policy from dialogue to a hard-nosed approach towards its neighbour. Jaishankar’s statement reflected the view of the Centre that there can be no room for dialogue with Pakistan unless the latter stops sponsoring terror activities.

In the past, both Modi and the former prime minister, A.B. Vajpayee, had extended their hands of friendship to Pakistan. Unfortunately, Islamabad has spurned such goodwill gestures.

Khokan Das, Calcutta

World leader

Sir — Researchers at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom recently highlighted that India emits some 9.3 million tonnes of macroplastic waste into the environment (“India becomes world’s top plastic polluter”, Sept 5). This should not come as a surprise given the increasing and unrestricted usage of plastic. The ban on single-use plastic, implemented in 2022, appears to have dissipated as the enforcement of the same has been shoddy. Corruption, bureaucratic incompetence, and a lack of political will all contributed to regulations being flouted with impunity. Perhaps India can learn from China, which banned single-use plastic in 2020 and backed it up with robust plastic pollution prevention measures.

Kamal Laddha, Bengaluru

Sir — Global plastic waste generation is projected to triple by 2060. The only effective solution to plastic pollution is putting in place strict laws to regulate plastic production and usage. This must be done on a war footing. Recently, traces of microplastics have been found in human organs, blood, faeces and even in breast milk. The authorities should either recycle plastic or go for biodegradable substitutes to protect public health and the environment.

H.N. Ramakrishna, Bengaluru

Good initiative

Sir — The Odisha government’s new initiative to lower dropout rates among tribal students is commendable. The Madho Singh Haath Kharch Yojana will provide annual financial assistance worth Rs 5,000 to students of Classes IX and XI. The incentive will go a long way in not only uplifting the marginalised sections but also improving the state of education in Odisha.

Shyamal Thakur, East Burdwan

Dessert war

Sir — For the past few years, most sweet shops in Calcutta have been selling modaks for the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. Some of these outlets even make different varieties of modak, believed to be the deity’s favourite. Given the increasing popularity of modaks in West Bengal, it would not be surprising if their sale surpassed that of Bengalis’ favourite roshogollas on the day of Ganesh Puja.

Sourish Misra, Calcutta