Opaque scheme
The government of the day is often heard saying that ‘Making India corruption free’ is its prime task. Though we understand this to be ‘mission impossible’, such a statement elevates the ‘feel good’ factor — for some time , at least. But, subsequently, we are made to understand that such statements are mere political narratives. Let us now take the example of electoral bonds. Their ‘anonymous’ nature runs against the fundamental right to information. A voter, as a citizen, should have the right to know the source of funds to a candidate. Also, nothing comes free and such donations promote quid pro quo. The fact that the party in power receives the maximum quantum of funds confirms this fact. In the absence of a scientific system to monitor and control the election-related expenditure by candidates and the political parties, such huge funds received by any party — normally the party in power — have the potential to disturb the functioning of democracy. The system is nothing but corruption in legal mode.
A.G. Rajmohan,
Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh
What Kota is
Coaching institutes in Kota, Rajasthan, claim to have measures to help students get through stress and anxiety, but in reality, what they deal with are packed schedules, cut-throat competition, constant pressure and feeling homesick (‘Datapoint’, November 7). Kota is not just a coaching factory but also a town that ‘pressure cooks’ aspirants. And, students who are unable to handle this pressure, fall into depression, leading to unfortunate incidents.
R. Sivakumar,
Chennai
