MyVoice: Views of our readers 2nd January 2021

Centre should repeal farm laws

As the government has agreed to the decriminalisation of stubble burning and the safeguarding of power subsidies, it should agree to the repeal of the three new farm laws and a legal guarantee for minimum support prices (MSP) for agri-produce too without procrastination. All that it needs to do so is foresight, flexibility and of course empathy for farmers. Farmers have deferred the New Year celebrations till the repeal of these laws. In 2021 a volatile situation is the last thing we want.

The new farm laws have been brought in unilaterally to tie farmers to a laissez-faire economy against their will and enable big agribusiness to monopolize the agri-market. They are likely to result in collapse of the Public Distribution System (PDS) and food insecurity. These are strong enough reasons for farmers and the wider society to be resolutely opposed to them. These laws are wholly inimical to the interests of food growers and food consumers; they are not amenable to being amended; they have to be scrapped in their entirety.

Farmers cannot be forced to accept the so-called big-ticket reforms that put them in a very vulnerable position. The giant silos built by corporate behemoths appear to be a foretaste of what is to come. Those who dub the protesting farmers as rich and affluent should tell us if they want us to regard the corporates as penurious and destitute!

The government must free itself from its identification with corporate interests and rise above its misplaced confidence that it can tackle any crisis by relying on the political support drawn from its weaponization of Hindutva, its USP; it must hold its hands up and roll back the laws.

The onus is now on the government to dispel the general public perception that the new laws are payback for corporate funding and signal a slide into de facto oligarchy by repealing them in toto. Politically too, it can ill afford to lose the support of such a large constituency as the farming community.

G David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

SC takes prompt action

Hats off to Chief Justice of India S A Bobde for his prompt acts like asking AP Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy to file his grievances as an affidavit, seeking response from Justice N V Ramana and shifting state's Chief Justice J K Maheswari to Sikkim. Allegations made by Jagan are of serious nature deserving deep follow-up. Unlike other human institutions surviving on purse and sword, courts survive on the strength of public's trust and confidence which are generated by role played by judges. The swift moves by Bobde will no doubt draw cheers from all quarters.

E Sethuramalingam, Kollam

Vaccine availability

VG Somani, Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) hinting at a webinar on Thursday that the country was close to approving a COVID-19 vaccine is music to the ears. We expect an expert body of the DCGI to review applications by the Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech (BB) for emergency use authorisation on Friday. With the detection of a new, faster-spreading COVID strain, it is imperative not to drop one's guard and adhere to pandemic precautions.

N J Ravi Chander, Bengaluru

Reduce zoo entry fee

Zoological park in Hyderabad is the third most visited destination. The zoo harbours an impressive amount of biodiversity, with more than 100 species of birds, reptiles and mammals calling this place their home. There are so many. Now the entry fee of Zoo park is increased. From 2018 - 2019 the entry fee for adults is Rs 30 - and for children is Rs 15 . But now it had increased to double of past price. Now for Adults fee is 50 rupees and for children Is 30 rupees.

During weekends it has increased to extra 10 rupees for both. It is not good. Because some visitors are middle class people. They come from different places to visit the park. But after knowing that fee had increased some of them go back to their places. And it is also not correct to increase the fee in this Corona time.

T V S Suchitra, Khammam

Improve APSRTC service

The real reason for the said to be drop in occupancy of APSRTC buses is disproportionately longer duration of journey time. I travelled in APSRTC Super Luxury service from KPHB to PNBS Vijayawada. The bus reached LB Nagar at 15.15, I inquired with the driver about reaching time at Vijayawada, he replied after 21.00 hours.

I reached Vijayawada at 21.15 hrs. It took 8 full hours to cover 280km @ 35km/hour. This certainly is not the speed of long distance service. Private transport, taxis and buses cover the same distance in less than six hours.This is what bringing down the occupancy rate.

APSRTC buses have been taking 8 hours to cover the distance when the road was single lane, double lane and now 4-lane with median. Life is the same in 1970s and 2020s, not much of improvement. Achche din kab aayenge?

G Sivaramakrishna, Hyderabad

The Brexit deal and UK PM

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will enjoy a triumphal visit to India as chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations after pulling his country back from the brink with a Brexit deal which partially ends four years of uncertainty over the UK's future relationship with European Union and brexit deal will lead to rearrangement of UK's foreign economic policy and international relations which offers India an opportunity .To be sure, there will be multiple glitches in implementing the complex

While Europe regrets the separation and look forward to a new beginning with Britain, Johnson claims a major political victory in regaining British sovereignty to make its own laws and freedom to engage the world on its own Britain had voted with a thin margin to leave the EU in a referendum during the summer of 2016."Although we have left the EU", Johnson said, Britain will remain culturally, emotionally, historically, strategically and geologically attached to the European.

London is actively negotiating multiple bilateral free trade agreements with major economic partners, trying to reinforce the traditional strategic partnerships with the US and Japan and leverage historic connections with Canada, Australia,New Zealand and other Commonwealth Johnson's visit to India,as the guest at the Republic Day next month,offers an opportunity for Delhi to take a close look at London's post Brexit plans and make a big push for the transformation of a bilateral relationship that has long performed way below its natural potential.

Yash Pal Ralhan, Jalandhar