Unequal hunger

Sir — While India slides further on the Global Hunger Index, a food delivery platform that caters to the privileged hunger pangs of those with smartphones has stepped in to solve the problem with a concert. Zomato’s Feeding India Concert in Mumbai will be headlined by Post Malone and the proceeds of the event will apparently go towards fighting malnutrition. This is ironic given that the app’s ‘delivery partners’, who risk life and limb to make a quick delivery come rain or shine, have been on repeated hunger strikes this year protesting the company’s exploitative practices. A concert cannot distract from these issues.

Roshni Sen, Calcutta

Mixed feelings

Sir — The Tamil Nadu prison department has released all six convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. The Supreme Court had ordered their release. The Congress has called the decision “totally unacceptable and completely erroneous”. While the crime in question is grave, they have been amply punished for it. The idea that convicts should remain in jail till death is regressive. The Congress should not seek legal recourse against this verdict.

Khokan Das, Calcutta

Sir — It is heartbreaking that those convicted to killing Rajiv Gandhi and 36 others have walked free. Law-abiding citizens will find this difficult to digest. Just as it was unfair to release the rapists of Bilkis Bano, so is it in this case. One wonders if the judges have taken into consideration the feelings of the victims’s families and survivors. What is the point of handing out a life imprisonment sentence if the convicts are going to be let out before time? Attacking a prime minister is an act of terror against a country and cannot be taken lightly.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee, Faridabad

Steep cost

Sir — Andrew Elder, an Edinburgh-based clinician and the president of the Royal College of Physicians, has rightly expressed concern about the declining number of general physicians (“The elderly hurt by specialist doctor model”, Nov 13). The elderly are afflicted by several ailments and visiting several specialists costs both time and money. A general physician could take care of most vital disorders — at least on a preliminary level.

Ashok Kumar Ghosh, Calcutta

Tough task ahead

Sir — Greg Barclay has unanimously been re-elected as the chairman of the International Cricket Council for a second twoyear term. The world of cricket is rife with differences at present. Barclay has had significant experience in the world of cricket — he was previously the chairman of New Zealand Cricket and was one of the directors of the 2015 ICC men’s cricket World Cup.

Raju Sharma, Calcutta

Winged saviours

Sir — November 12 is celebrated as National Birdwatching Day in honour of the famous ornithologist, Salim Ali. Birds not only bring music and colour into the world but are also extremely crucial to the environment. They help control insects and rodents and play an important role in pollination. It is unfortunate that one of the most commonly spotted and favoured birds, sparrows, have almost disappeared from the urban landscape.

Sunil Chopra, Ludhiana

Sir — It was wonderful to read that small earthen pots with holes were hung from trees like banyan, peepal, mango and jamun at a Calcutta school to serve as nests for small birds (“Mud pots for birds to nest at city school”, Nov 13). Owing to urbanisation, Calcutta and its adjoining areas have turned into a concrete jungle, leading to habitat loss for several species of birds. What is worse, the city has repeatedly witnessed devastating storms and cyclones in the recent past owing to global warming. Trees have been uprooted in the thousands leading to the death of many birds. The initiative taken by the school is thus praiseworthy. More schools in the city should undertake such drives.

Sourish Misra, Calcutta

Arbitrary rules

Sir — The Guidelines for Uplinking and Downlinking of Satellite Television Channels in India, 2022 mandate that companies with the permission to operate in India, barring foreign channels, will have to broadcast content on themes of national importance and socially relevant issues for at least 30 minutes every day. The real question here is what constitutes ‘national importance’ or ‘social relevance’? Would one of the loud news shows where television anchors peddle half-truths and lies to curry favour with the present dispensation count as one broadcast in ‘national interest’? Such arbitrary and subjective laws are dangerous in the hands of any government.

Rahul Singh, New Delhi

Parting shot

Sir — After the rollout of the new subscription plan, Twitter is seeing a steep rise in fake accounts impersonating personalities, such as Jesus Christ, with verified blue ticks. This can be disastrous.

Indrajit Sen, Calcutta