Dear Sir,
Terror stalks the globe, as man continues to slaughter his brethren in an orgy of mindless violence. We are witnessing violence unprecedented in the annals of human behaviour. The Middle East is drowning in a cesspool of blood. The area is seeping with the blood of innocent people. There is no place to hide for the civil population.
Historians will remember 2016 as the year of violent change. What has happened to propagate the large-scale killing and violence exploding around the world today?
Violence begets violence. A violent act, sometimes even an insulting word, creates a wound, a violation that calls for revenge, atonement and retribution.
This culture of violence will eventually destroy humanity.
Civilian fatalities in war have climbed from 5% at the turn of the century, to more than 90% in the wars of today. Armed conflict kills and maims more children than soldiers. More and more wars are essentially low-intensity conflicts, and they are lasting longer. Even children are not spared. It is estimated that 500,000 under five-year-olds died as a result of armed conflicts in 1992 alone.
Increasingly, wars are fought in precisely those countries that can least afford them. Of the more than 150 conflicts since World War II, 130 have been fought in the developing world.
We must abolish war, or war will ultimately destroy humanity.
Farouk Araie, [email protected]
NRIs deserve a better deal
Dear Sir,
The duty-free allowance for non-resident Indians (NRIs) on gold ornaments is limited to Rs50,000 for men and Rs100,000 for women. This doesn’t make any sense, considering today’s gold prices. The Indian government should immediately increase the ceiling of free allowance of gold ornaments for NRIs, taking into account the precious metal’s price appreciation over the last decade. For women, the figure should at least be Rs200,000 and for men, Rs100,000.
The government should also allow NRIs to bring home foreign-made LED and LCD TVs tax free as these products are energy-efficient and cost- effective.
The Central government’s apathy towards issues affecting NRIs continues only because there is no co-ordination among them. The government turns a deaf ear to all legitimate demands of NRIs. It keeps giving concessions to government employees but seems to consider those working abroad as second-class citizens.
The Central government has recently cancelled a 1% excise duty on cash purchase of gold ornaments, proposed in the union budget, because of strong resistance from jewellery owners. Similarly, after nationwide protests, the government rolled back a decision to tighten PF withdrawal norms. But when it comes to issues affecting NRIs such as their voting rights, nobody seems to care. Political parties don’t want NRIs getting their voting rights as they don’t like to see a pressure group growing outside the country, united behind demands for more welfare steps.
The NRIs’ contributions to nation-building are significant but never given proper recognition. The standard of living in the south Indian state of Kerala is a typical example of NRIs’ contribution to the nation’s economy.
The Central government must acknowledge the fact the foreign exchange remittances made by NRIs in the last two years have been almost double the figure of the total foreign direct investment (FDI) received by the country during the same period.
NRIs deserve a better deal from the government.
Girish R Edathitta, (e-mail address supplied)
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