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THE article "At the expense of equity" shows how inappropriate the title of the Eleventh Plan is -"Towards faster and more inclusive growth" (August 11). The Planning Commission's push for a higher economic growth rate is understandable in the present global world order. But a high growth rate cannot be an end in itself; it should serve as a means to improve the living standards of the county's 230 million people reeling under poverty. A high growth rate should facilitate employment generation, curb poverty and improve social infrastructure. The private sector cannot achieve this goal. Economic giants such as Japan and China focussed first on improving their peoples' living standards and their social infrastructure before aiming for sustainable economic growth rates. The Planning Commission should plan for an equitable India and aim for a realistic and sustainable growth rate.
Naveen Marrapu
War on Lebanon
IN the war in West Asia between Hizbollah and Israel, supported by Bush and Blair, the real heroes and heroines are the large number of children and women who are perishing (Cover Story, August 11).
How can the U.S. claim to advocate democracy and call for the disarming of Hizbollah when it exports war materials to Israel while it pounds Lebanon, a sovereign country?
Shakeel A. Bhartiya
MUCH of the Indian media is unduly harsh on Israel at a time when it is fighting for its survival as a sovereign nation. Its military action against an aggressive, hostile militia called Hizbollah, functioning illegally from a country which does not belong to it, should instead be applauded.
Indians critical of Israel must know that Hizbollah is functioning in total defiance of the United Nations Security Council resolution No. 1559, which called for its disarming and disbanding.
J. Akshobhya
Israel no model
PRAFUL Bidwai has rightly pointed out in his column that India need not look to Israel in dealing with terrorism ("A disastrous model", August 11). It is a fashion among political commentators, particularly those with rightist leanings, to say that India is a `soft state' and that it should draw lessons from Israel to deal firmly with terrorism.
They are not ready to recognise that the situations in India and Israel are quite different. Even educated people routinely blame the government for terrorist attacks.
There is need for honest self-examination as to why the Indian people as a society and as a nation has lost all moral authority to deal firmly with violence of all kinds. How many Indians care to vote and influence electoral politics? How many strongly feel that those guilty of the killings in the riots of 1984, 1992, 1993 and 2002 should be brought to book?
Narendra M.Apte
Beware of U.S.
THE broad and varied landscape of the India-United States nuclear deal should not get mired in the "hidden agenda" of the U.S. ("Cooperation and hurdles", August 11).
The Indian government should not let the U.S. dilute the agreement reached during President George W. Bush's visit. There is no need to subject India's fast-breeder programmes, including future nuclear tests, to the wishes of the U.S. government. It is really baffling that the `Iran angle' is being used by the U.S. to twist India's arm. India should make it clear to the U.S. that if it fails to uphold the original draft in letter and spirit, India will abandon the deal.
Arvind K. Pandey
Tsunami warning
THE failure of the Indonesian government to set up a proper tsunami-warning system and the way it bore the brunt of another tsunami on July 17 should serve as a wake-up call to India ("Delayed warning", August 11).
There was no news about Indian weathermen having any inkling of the tsunami that hit Indonesia. The government should ensure that an efficient tsunami-warning system is set up in the Indian Ocean region soon.
Jeevan Kuruvilla
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