Criticism is unsubstantiated

Dear Sir,

I feel the criticism levelled in the letters, “Amusing observation” and “Poor knowledge of Indian politics” (Gulf Times, February 7), against India coverage in Gulf Times was not substantiated.
Corruption is not a mere word which is written on a board and I don’t think most  people don’t expect  Prime Minister Narendra Modi could just rub it off. Corruption, mainly thanks to the previous government, is a deep-rooted problem in the country. Modi doesn’t have a magic wand to bring about vast changes.
On rising petrol prices, one must have an idea of India’s current GDP and how the country is going to generate revenues to ward off its deficit to get a clear picture.
Some developments that should be noted in this context are:
lIncreasing excise duty on fuel prices: This will help the government leverage the dollar savings from cheap crude oil prices to fund its treasury for meeting the fiscal deficit target and development works. Had the crude prices stayed at $115, this extra excise duty would have to be borne by customers, but due to dip in prices, the oil companies pay it from their pocket and  are not transferring to the public.
l Weak rupee: India buys crude oil in dollars. Now the losses springing from the weakness of  the Indian rupee against the  US dollar will have to be adjusted before passing on the price benefit to customers.
lInventory losses: There have been massive inventory losses to oil companies in the past and they are using the savings from cheap crude oil prices to offset them.
You don’t spend all your savings on your family holidays but use them to fund the deficits first.
And in reference to Rajesh Nair’s letter, “Don’t blame the messenger” (Gulf Times, February 8), I don’t think anybody  is doing that.
And finally, let me ask a question to those who write the Indian reports to Gulf Times: Who do you think can lead the government better than Modi at present; is it Rahul Gandhi of the Congress Party, Mehbooba Mufti Sayeed of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal  or Azam Khan of Samajwadi Party ?
The world is looking at Modi in a quite optimistic way, so please be reasonable in your comments.

Sachin S Nambudiri, (Address supplied)

Use your electronic devices sparingly

Dear Sir,

The intensive use of smartphones has resulted in the spread of myopia which is the inability to see distant objects clearly (“Myopia on the rise”, Gulf Times, February 7).
Constant watching of television and sitting in front of computers for hours at a stretch could also contribute to myopia. Since most of us carry a smartphone with us always, we are tempted to use it frequently for texting messages, watching movies or videos and browsing the Net as well even in the dark, thereby causing optical problems.
In case of students, it will affect their studies, resulting in poor grades, unless corrected by spectacles. Hence, use all your electronic devices sparingly. Never ever get addicted to them.

C Robinson, robin_son_ch@yahoo.co.in

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