Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Unrealistic

This is with reference to the article "India Inc., liberalisation, and social responsibility" (April 25). To expect industry to take on the burden of social responsibility is unrealistic. The stake involved for society as a whole is too large to be left to the mercy of the private sector. The responsibility of the state does not end with exhortations to business to behave. The government cannot and should not abdicate its responsibility in areas such as education and health care.

Manohar Alembath,
Chennai

* * *

What Prime Minister Manmohan Singh emphasised at the CII conclave was that growth should be inclusive. Good primary education alone will not enable the socially backward to land jobs in the highly competitive market. OBCs who have professional qualifications find it difficult to compete because they lack communication skills, fluency in English, and so on. If Wipro and the like train candidates from the marginalised sections of society, they will certainly excel. Industry, therefore, should not look at the quota issue with preconceived notions.

S. Kasimayan,
New Delhi

* * *

Reservation for OBCs in Central universities, IITs, IIMs, and the private sector is turning out to be a classic case of one man's food being another man's poison. Is reservation the only way in which we can bring about social justice — by watering down the aspirations of millions of deserving students? It is obvious and unfortunate that politicians have kept the issue alive to exploit the masses. It is the middle-class, general category students who are affected the most by such policies as they neither have the money nor the contacts to get into good institutions or jobs.

Vishal C. Ratkal,
Bangalore

* * *

The article "Reservation saga" (Open Page, April 23) was enlightening and reflected the long stifled agony of the forward communities. The reservation policy has clearly failed to deliver social justice to the genuinely backward sections. Despite widespread protests from various strata of people — students to corporate moguls — the Government seems to be in no mood to search for alternative strategies. The reverse-discrimination policy has not only failed to serve its purpose, but has also marginalised the forward castes. But then I entertain no hopes of their cries being heard because the hardest task is to make people accept the truth when they have decided to turn their backs to it.

T.N. Nambhi,
Chennai

* * *

An interesting debate on reservation on television, made more so by the walkout by a group of OBCs from the audience because a majority was against the proposed 27 per cent quota, made me wonder what the solution to the issue is. Had I been one among the group, I would not have known how to respond to the angry voices.

Ragini Letitia Singh,
Sahibabad, U.P.

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