Letters to the Editor: Focusing on widening tax

The fiscal prudence in times of uncertainty and the majority of spending towards Capex having multiplier impact helped India to recover steeply from negative growth during 2020–21 to 9.1 per cent GDP growth in 2021–22 and 7.1 per cent in 2022–23. The current efforts to bring down the fiscal deficit to 4.5 per cent of GDP by 2025–26 could be advanced by exercising care on revenue expenses and focusing on widening the tax base with enhanced direct and indirect taxes, which could go a long way in improving the prospects for the Indian economy. This will help India achieve the developed nation status by 2047.

Jahangir Ali,

Guwahati.

Guideline for helper

On March 30, 2016, the Supreme Court approved the central government's guidelines for assisted helpers. Justice KS Radhakrishnan, on the recommendation of the committee, had prepared guidelines for implementing the guidelines for the Protection of the interests of persons assisting victims. The Supreme Court's order is for all states and Union Territories under Article 141. If an authority does not implement it, it will be treated as contempt of court. The Health Ministry will issue a guideline that no government or private hospital will stop such help for payment for the treatment of the injured; the injured will be treated immediately; if the doctor is negligent, action will be taken against him under the section of MCI; whoever takes the injured to the hospital will be allowed to leave immediately; if he is an eyewitness, he will be allowed to go after telling the address; the helpers will not be responsible for any criminal or civil case.

N Ashraf,

Guwahati.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

A new trend has emerged in the country to rewrite history by distorting facts. We don’t know where it will cease to work. Ultimately, what will people gain out of all these? It is an utterly sad commentary that even Mahatma Gandhi was not spared. Here, I do not want to write an autobiography of Gandhi. To put things in perspective, I want to state the following: Mahatma Gandhi, a major political and spiritual leader of India, led the country in the non-cooperation movement in 1922, the salt march in 1930, and later in the quit India movement in 1942 during its struggle for independence.

I can say proudly that we Indians are blessed to have a leader like Mahatma Gandhi. We don’t know for sure that another Gandhi will ever take birth in this country. Can his detractors show a person or leader in the country who is equal or less than equal to Gandhi? Can they show any Indian leader who is adored all over the world? As a human being, he might have made small mistakes unknowingly: It can’t be a valid reason to decimate him after 77 years of independence.

In today’s milieu, we see MLAs and ministers involved in neck-deep corruption. They amass wealth, both movable and immovable, for their many generations at the cost of the public. Many leaders’ have heinous criminal records to their credit. Forget politicians; even officials, bureaucrats, school teachers, college principals, and VCs are not above board. We keep hearing about their misdemeanours every now and then. How many of us know about Mahatma Gandhi’s sons and family? How much wealth has he (Gandhi) accumulated? Precisely speaking, we don’t have the right to criticize Gandhi. At the end, I want to quote a few lines from The Telegraph (August 14). Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi “The ruling dispensation’s takeover of the Gujarat Vidyapith, founded by Mahatma Gandhi, last year has started showing its true colours.

During the customary Upasana (prayer meet), the Vidyapith’s girl students were stopped from performing Sarva Dhrma Parthana by a Hindi professor. Not only that, the girls were publicly insulted. A lady professor, who was present at that time, protested on the spot against the shameful behaviour of the Hindi professor. The Sarva Dharma Parthana has been the Vidyatith’s tradition and part of the value system since its inception. The project of taking over Gandhian Institutes all over the country is a mission accomplished.”

Prafulla Dowarah,

Guwahati.