Farmers’ protest
The government says that the three farm laws are in the interest of the farmers. The farmers in turn say that they are detrimental to their interests. Only one of them can be right. If the farmers themselves are of the opinion that the farm laws are otherwise, why should the government be adamant in not scrapping them at once? The determination of the farmers that unless and until the contentious laws are repealed in their entirety is amazing. If the farmers who are the main stakeholders do not want the reform laws, who else is the government wanting to retain them for? The Centre must hold talks with farmers about what type of reforms, if at all, the government proposes to bring in. The impasse would not have arisen at all had only the government taken farmers’ unions into confidence before introducing the laws.
A. Jainulabdeen,
Chennai
Visuals of the farmers’ agitation brings to mind K.R. Narayanan’s words: ‘Beware the patience of the un-empowered”. Patience has its limits and the farmers who until now had taken everything in their stride, see the new laws as the last straw. That they have not agitated of a magnitude this far is in itself proof of the gravity of their concerns. The Centre cannot dismiss it as a mere stage-managed display instigated by vested interests. With more joining in from other States and personnel ready to hand back their medals, the agitation seems to be gaining strength. The government should formulate new laws in consultation with the farming community.
Elizabeth Koshy,
Maramon, Pathanamthitta, Kerala
The scale of the farmers’ protest should serve as an eye-opener to the government to mend its undemocratic ways. Steamrolling Bills through Parliament should stop and the spirit of federalism needs immediate resurrection. The nation, no doubt, owes a debt of gratitude to the farmers’ organisations for the grit displayed in upholding the democratic rights of citizens to protest and trying to force the government to reconsider the laws pushed through in a hurry.
However continuation of agitation may not be in their interest. Instead of demanding a repeal, the proper course of action would be to seek suspension of its implementation and sit down for a discussion. The interests of all stakeholders needs to be balanced. A blind adherence to policies framed in a bygone era of shortages may turn out to be counter-productive.
Manohar Alembath,
Kannur, Kerala
Nursing
The industry-academia gap in the nursing sector is huge and most of the undergraduate trained nurses joining the profession are not immediately employable. Understanding the nursing education sector is important in the aftermath of the central government’s mandate to increase the wages of nurses in private hospitals. There is an urgent need for skill development and training nurses to keep pace with current practices.
R. Sivakumar,
Chennai
