PAN frauds

The I-T department issued an advisory to the public saying they should not reveal their PAN numbers when booking train tickets. Since the Railways displays the PAN, name, sex and age of passengers on reservation charts, it’s a security hazard.

Recently, my friend had gone to Central Station to see someone off. There, he noticed a young man peering at the reservation charts and noting down details on a piece of paper. When my friend confronted the man, he discovered that the latter had been appointed by an agent to get the information, for which he was being paid ₹20 a passenger.

The information was to be passed on to jewellers, for (mis)use them in benami transactions. It is mandatory for traders like jewellers to collect tax collection at source from customers on purchase of jewels worth ₹5 lakh and bullion worth ₹2 lakh; PAN numbers come in handy for them.

VS Jayaraman

Chennai

Clean Ganga

It is reported that donations made by individuals to the Clean Ganga Fund would be eligible for I-T exemption. While there cannot be two opinions on the need for such an initiative, the scope of the fund should be enlarged to cover other rivers also.

There are so many rivers and tributaries in the country in bad shape due to encroachments and mixing of effluents and waste. The government should focus on some of the other rivers also which may not require huge investments. The government may also consider entrusting the maintenance of rivers to corporates under their CSR initiatives.

M Raghuraman

Mumbai

Blame game

The Centre and the Delhi government are blaming each other for the suicide at an AAP rally. Successive governments at the Centre and in almost all the States have had failed to see the nuts and bolts of the agrarian sector and implement correct polices. As a result, farmers are a despondent lot and suicides happen at regular intervals. Let the Centre and States frame agricultural policies keeping the strengths and weaknesses of the sector in mind and ensure that the sector optmises its potential and is mindful of the welfare of farmers too. The blame game is an unwanted exercise.

S Ramakrishnasayee

Ranipet, Tamil Nadu

The reason is the same for all the suicides — farmers are not able to enjoy the fruits of their efforts due to natural calamities. For this the government should provide a fund to be distributed to distressed farmers instead of providing them rescheduling loans from banks and other financial institutions; the fund should be non-repayable in the case of natural calamities. This type of reschedule only adds to their woes because they will never get a surplus.

The Delhi suicide is being politicised by all parties. Importantly, the compensation announced by politicians or the government should be actually received by the farmer’s family, which should be recorded through the media. We are never sure if compensation is actually received. Irrespective of differences, all parties should come together to find a solution and prevent suicides.

TSN Rao

Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh

Use technology effectively

With reference to your edit, ‘Dealing with a dampener’ (April 24), climate change is for real and we are not prepared to deal with the surprises in climate when it comes to agriculture. This is the primary reason for the distress in agriculture and the lives of farmers. We have not used technology to deliver effective crop insurance to farmers. Everything is politicised and in the end, no solution is found to the problems. We need to move on and behave responsibly.

In this day and age we still remain dependant on the monsoon for our agriculture; we should be ashamed of this. The basics of agriculture such as the ratio of urea and potash to be used are not effectively communicated to farmers. How will we be prepared for the impending climate crisis? All our news channels have become entertainment channels. The government has to deliver on all fronts to protect farmers.

CR Arun

Email

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