Downward slope

Sir — A snatch of conversation overheard on the Metro brought home the sorry state of education. One giggly student revealed to her friend that she had to literally wipe the dust off her books the day before appearing for her university exams. Commiserating, the friend disclosed her dismal attendance and the paltry sum which she had to pay to compensate for it. Does acquiring knowledge mean nothing anymore? Interacting and debating with professors and peers in the classroom used to broaden one’s horizons significantly. Further, what are these books that can make scholars out of people in a day?

Sarbani Pal Choudhuri,
Calcutta

Sir — India’s economy is going through a grim phase; it is witnessing a downward slide and the future is clouded by uncertainties (“Hollow noise”, Aug 8). In her budget speech, the Union finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, had said that India is set to become a five-trillion-dollar economy by 2025. Given the country’s economic condition at the moment, this assumption seems far-fetched. A number of decisions taken by the government has adversely affected our relatively stable economy instead of improving it. This has created a wound that could take years to heal.

Now it is the turn of the automotive industry, where sales sank to a 19-year low in July. The government boasts of growth but fails to provide proper facts and figures that support its claim. It has also failed to take potential investors into confidence.

It is a matter of concern that there has been no perceptible positive development in the economy, largely owing to the lack of political will and ability to deal with the financial crisis by putting pragmatic and urgent reforms in place. The rupee is growing weaker against the dollar as India slips to the seventh position in the global gross domestic product rankings. Yet the people at the helm continue to pay scant attention to planning and play with statistics only to woo voters. It is high time that the ruling dispensation takes these issues seriously instead of fooling people with empty rhetoric.

Janga Bahadur Sunuwar,
Jalpaiguri

Sir — Under the Narendra Modi-led government, ‘reforms’ were ushered in with a lot of noise and little clarity. The fact that the Reserve Bank of India has already brought down the repo rate by a total of 110 basis points is not a positive sign for the economy. The chief of a private bank recently noted that new organizations are defaulting on a weekly basis and retail assets are becoming more negative than before. Instead of resolving the crisis, the government seems to be pinning its hopes on private entrepreneurs to save the economy. It has also been relaxing norms in order to bring in foreign investment. One can only wait and watch if this is helpful.

R. Narayanan,
Navi Mumbai

Sir — With the massive mandate he received in the general elections this year, the prime minister, Narendra Modi, seems to have acquired unrestricted access to every ministry. The people in charge of administration in different sectors appear to be too timid to ask him questions about his decisions, let alone differ with his opinions. Modi does not share any concrete plans, but expects everyone to go along with him anyway. The Opposition, too, has been divided and feckless. The government is a one-man show. If this continues to go unchallenged — most Indians are too fatalistic and passive to protest — the hollow noise made by our deflating economy will only grow more deafening.

Tarsem Singh,
Hoshiarpur, Punjab

Parting shot

Sir — The Calcutta airport is following in the footsteps of other major airports in India by replacing most announcements regarding flights in the security-hold area with signage and information display from September (“Calcutta airport to fall silent”, July 27). This is a positive step. Rather than helping passengers, frequent announcements tend to create confusion among them. This measure will also curb noise pollution. Strictures such as this one should be imposed across the city, so that honking and the excessive use of loudspeakers, especially during festivals, is regulated.

Sanjit Ghatak,
South 24 Parganas