MyVoice: Views of our readers 28th june 2020

Farm sector needs urgent support

This refers to the report 'Big sops to save reality on the cards' (July 27). More than any segment, agriculture needs immediate push. Over the years, corporate cartels have created lobbies to control the base of Indian economy – agriculture. It is profit-oriented, not a bad word, but at the cost of sustenance of the farming community. The farmers need monetary support all through the year. They need small credits. This is provided by the buyers at the mandis and adjusted against the final sales. The payments to farmers are assured in the system. Yes, this creates a kind of bondage too. There are instances of it being exploited as well. Politically it suits various operators as election funding in bulk is assured. Practically, the nation is creating convoluted system, where the involvement of the government at micro level would increase. Economically and financially it may be populist but certainly not profitable either for the farmers or the nation. So the State neither needs a full corporate system, nor full privatisation nor full government involvement. Agriculture remains complex. Giving it to the corporate may have long-term impact on food security about which the nation has false sense as granaries overflow as per 1960s model.

Prakash Rao K, Hyderabad

Don't dishonour Covid-19 patients

It is alarming to see that cases have been reported of people affected with Covid-19 facing discrimination on account of heightened fear and misinformation about the infection. This is just another form of racism. This major problem is cropping up repeatedly. Today anyone can get infected, in spite of all precautions. It is a pandemic. What is more disturbing is that the 'finding' of a victim is treated with great unnecessary drama. The person is stigmatised and he and his family are made to feel like criminals. The taking of such a person to quarantine or hospital in an ambulance, surrounded by PPE-suited healthcare workers, and sometimes the police, is dramatised. Even neighbours start making videos or clicking pictures. It is a request to please desist from shaming the victim. Medical shaming will only encourage people to hide symptoms. It is not a fault, deficiency or a failure of the patient. This attitude creates an atmosphere of scorn, dishonour and disgrace. What you can do is show support to the person and his family, give a thumbs-up sign, call up the family and pledge your full support. The way the pandemic is going, anyone of us can find the police or ambulance at our doorstep. I am sure you would not like anyone filming you or your family being taken in the ambulance. We must strictly follow precautions. Despite all precautions, if anybody catches the infection, it is not totally their fault. Fight paranoia, prejudices and misinformation.

Aruna Devarani, Visakhapatnam, AP

Ruling party should blame itself

The BJP claims to be the world's largest political party; now it is also trying to prove that it is the most active one. The pandemic has stalled the normal activities of most political outfits, but the BJP went into full-action mode after the initial cooling-off period on account of the nationwide lockdown. Trying to show that it was much ahead of others, the party started holding not only digital meetings but also virtual rallies. The heightened activity has backfired at least in two States — Bihar and Uttarakhand. In poll-bound Bihar, the BJP headquarters in Patna turned into a Covid-19 hotspot. Officially, more than 20 party leaders, including the State party chief, Sanjay Jaiswal, were found to be infected. The unofficial figure is 75. One legislator has already succumbed to the virus. In Uttarakhand, scores of leaders and workers in the Kumaon region have reportedly tested positive. They were said to be conducting party activity without proper safeguards. In March, the BJP and its 'echo system' had used the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi to indirectly target a particular community for spreading the virus. Whispers in the political corridors now say that the BJP was just as irresponsible.

Habiba Syed, Hyderabad