Another political game?

This refers to the Editorial “Caste calculations” (October 11). At the political level the electoral impact of Congress party’s newfound attachment for caste census will depend on what strategy the BJP adopts to neutralise it — it can expand its “labharthi” (beneficiary) schemes for the downtrodden or go back to Hindu identity politics.

So will the return to caste politics open another Pandora’s Box like the earlier Mandal Commission’s report which has created simmering social tensions emanating from the reservation fall out?

No doubt, availability of data about socio economic profile can precipitate an honest effort to improve the welfare of the less privileged castes; but the way caste card is being played by the parties for the forthcoming elections puts paid to this optimism.

YG Chouksey

Pune

Nipping it in the bud

Apropos ‘Ahead of polls, banks step up vigil to track suspicious transactions’ (October 11), it is encouraging to see banks getting ready to monitor bulk online and major offline transactions ahead of the Assembly polls.

Significantly, the State Level Bankers’ Committees (SLBCs) have been mandated to coordinate the monitoring by banks, for tracking and reporting any suspicious transactions, as per EC’s standard operating procedures (SOPs).

While the banks will also look into the transactions in the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) accounts which had shown some upswings in the balances before the elections but what about these transactions being routed through various non-banking channels?

Mind you, the massive electoral expenses incurred by candidates, can hardly be met through the permitted channels alone. So the EC can also leverage digital modes to track candidates’ poll expenditure.

SK Gupta

New Delhi

Need to be cautious

Apropos ‘India and the Palestine question’ (October 11). The Viewsroom aptly brings to the fore the need for India to be watchful in the Israel-Palestine war. PM Modi’s immediate response of supporting Israel seems hasty when India has good relationship with both Israel and Palestine in terms of trade and defence procurement.

Nevertheless the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC) project’s feasibility depends upon India’s cordial ties with Gulf countries. India will be benefit most from the IMEEC. At this juncture being neutral is good for India.

NR Nagarajan

Sivakasi

Innovative solutions

This refers to the article “Mental health services should be affordable”, (October 11). Mental health forms an integral part of an individual’s overall health. The significance of mental health has come to the forefront in the wake of the pandemic, and shone a light on the gaps in the current approach to mental health care and the need to expand India’s mental health ecosystem.

To successfully adopt these solutions, there is a need to drive sustained funding from both public and private players. Evidence-based research could be employed to measure the efficacy of these models and generate reliable data to support their funding.

These innovative solutions have the potential to be scaled up, and integrated with the primary healthcare system. Through an integrated approach, there is potential to make mental health care affordable and accessible to all.

S Muthulakshmi

Virudhunagar (TN)

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