Letters to the Editor — June 13, 2025
The accident to an Air India flight, from Ahmedabad to the United Kingdom, is shocking. We pray for the souls who were on board the plane and wish their families strength and courage. Though the investigation into the crash may take some time, airlines in India should ensure that there are no compromises when it comes to the safety of the air passenger.
A.J. Rangarajan,
Chennai
Limited progress
The progress being made as far as an India-U.S. trade deal is concerned (Page 1 'India, U.S. inch closer to limited trade agreement', June 12) is encouraging, especially amid global economic uncertainty. While an initial 'mini-deal' is welcome, India and the United States must resist piecemeal compromises. Instead, they must pursue a holistic, fair, and mutually beneficial pact.
Tariff reductions and market access should be reciprocal, not one-sided. India must safeguard its domestic interests while opening its doors for innovation and investment. A deadline-driven approach, with transparency, will strengthen trust and global credibility.
Dr. Vijay Kumar H.K.,
Raichur, Karnataka
NCERT textbooks
While the National Council of Educational Research and Training is designed to educate children through textbooks that could help them grow as knowledgeable and educated youth, missing portions on the farm sector and farmers is worrying ('New NCERT text books don't carry 'poverty and colonized' narratives', June 11).
Children should know, and be taught early on, that India is basically an agricultural country and that the farm sector is very crucial. Ground reality should be a priority in the syllabus. A recent article that said 2026 will be observed as the year of women in agriculture. Should not there be thinking about the agriculture sector?
Balasubramaniam Pavani,
Secunderabad
Maximum Mumbai
The tragic and unfortunate incident of passengers dying while travelling on a Mumbai local train shows that the Railways have miles to go in ensuring the safety of commuters. The overcrowding on these trains was a common sight especially during peak hours when I was a commuter between Thane and Mumbai CST in 1992. When we realise that not much has changed over three decades, it points to serious lapses in the planning, the development and the implementation of basic infrastructure, which is the lifeline of Mumbaikars. I have seen trains operating in Dubai and Japan, and I have travelled on the Dubai Metro for three years, from 2009.
There are a few measures that the Railways and the Government can adopt to minimise such accidents. To flatten the peak in passenger volume, office hours can be staggered. The Railways can increase the frequency of local trains. Providing automatic sliding doors is also needed.
More coaches and vestibules to connect them would be ideal.
Jiji Panicker K.
Chengannur, Kerala
With over 80 lakh daily commuters, Mumbai's suburban train system is arguably one of the busiest. Yet, overcrowding, outdated infrastructure, and a lack of real-time monitoring are hurdles. The incident serves as a grim reminder of the urgent need to modernise Mumbai's railway system — not technologically alone, but also structurally and administratively.
R. Sivakumar,
Chennai
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President Trump's 2018 New Year Day tweet exemplified this view. The tweet underlined US foolishness in giving Pakistan billions of dollars in aid in return for deceit and lies! This was consistent with emergent US narratives about Pakistan, but that it was from the President himself made it doubly significant. Through the Biden tenure matters crystallised at a low plateau of bad blood and mutual recriminations. The US's final withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 in disorder and disarray added another layer to the deep strategic mistrust and suspicion that now characterised the relationship. President Biden did not have even a telecon with Imran Khan during the time he was PM and Imran Khan in turn blamed the US for his premature ouster from power. In the meantime, most US military and security assistance was suspended. What perhaps hurt Pakistan the most was the impact this had on training programmes for Pakistan military officers in the US. 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