Too few

Sir — The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, which was withheld last year allegedly to boost the prestige associated with it, has been awarded to 12 male scientists this year. What seems like sexism on the part of the prize committee might not actually be intentional. The dearth of women scientists is a serious problem. Very few women are encouraged to pursue STEM subjects, especially in India, leading to an abysmally low number of women in the sciences. Perhaps more grants and scholarships for female students taking up STEM subjects will ensure gender parity in such awards in the future.

Tripti Sinha, Jamshedpur

Precious voice

Sir — It is disheartening that G.N. Devy, the cultural activist behind the People’s Linguistic Survey of India and the Adivasi Academy, has decided to retire his column for The Telegraph owing to his desire to revive conversations between civilisations (“Eternal hope”, Sept 15). His articles, such as “Little Indias” (April 13, 2022), displayed his grasp over not only humour and literature but also music and history. Devy’s works champion marginalised voices against anti-democratic threats and are thus admirable. His readers will now eagerly await his books.

Sukhendu Bhattacharjee, Hooghly

Disrespectful

Sir — The Calcutta High Court’s decision to hold the police accountable for their disrespectful treatment of a sexual assault survivor is commendable (“Night watch”, Sept 15). It is important that law enforcement agencies do not further traumatise victims. An intrusive visit by the police to the survivor’s home at an unwarranted hour was a breach of privacy. This reflects a deficiency in training and sensitisation of the police force.

Comprehensive training programmes that focus on respecting survivors’ rights and privacy and providing them with the necessary support must be undertaken. Moreover, establishing mechanisms to report and investigate police misconduct, fostering a culture of accountability within the police force, and educating the public on their rights are vital as well.

Amarjeet Kumar, Hazaribagh

Pocket pinch

Sir — India’s consumer price index dropped to 6.8% in August, which is still above the upper limit of the Reserve Bank of India’s tolerance ceiling of 6%. Wholesale inflation, as measured by the wholesale price index, dipped to 0.52% in August. Prices of food grains such as cereals and pulses are already high. This is a commercial challenge for the government’s financial arm, which must control prices without jeopardising the vote bank.

Mohammad Taukir, West Champaran

Help at hand

Sir — The National Medical Commission’s idea of making it mandatory for every MBBS student to adopt a rural family is admirable. However, this initiative must be strictly implemented so that students do not avoid compulsory rural stints as they usually do. This measure will surely help people access healthcare facilities on time.

Bal Govind, Noida

Under water

Sir — Several parts of Calcutta witnessed severe waterlogging because of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation’s negligent maintenance of the drainage systems around
the city (“Police write to CMC on Camac water riddle”, Sept 15). Traffic congestion becomes common as cars tend to avoid routes prone to waterlogging and, during office and school hours, the traffic flow becomes unmanageable. The CMC must resolve the issue at once and take appropriate steps to maintain the roads adequately.

D. Bhattacharyya, Calcutta