With and without power

This refers to the article ‘The untrammelled power of bureaucracy’ (January 29). The thrust of the article goes against the other perception that under successive governments the bureaucracy, particularly law enforcing authorities like ED, CBI, IT, Police and administration have become subservient to the diktats of their political masters.

Prime Ministers also often depend more on top bureaucracy than ministers. This could also be why the former has some clout.

YG Chouksey

Pune

Insurance penetration

The report ‘Budget set to usher in major reforms in insurance sector’, once again highlights the importance of insurance industry.

100 per cent FDI in insurance — expected to be allowed — cannot be a guarantee for achieving the goal.

Allowing composite licensing for companies to offer life, non life and health is fraught with the lurking danger of cross subsidising with insurers going in for group business likely to pass on loss suffered in one area to the other relatively better sector of business. Better would be specialised stand alone (and aloof) entities for life, non-life, vehicles and health.

Desisting the clamour for alternative distribution channels, building and empowering a professional individual agency base — answerable to the customer, reimagining policy design with a thrust on pure or term (indemnity) policies and making them affordablecan go a long way in improving insurance penetration.

Jose Abraham

Kottayam (Kerala)

Upending the world

The article ‘Trump redraws the US playbook’ (January 29) exposes the US expansionist agenda.

But it is an impossible agenda.

His zero tolerance on illegal immigrants and denial of birthright of citizenship of US-born children legal immigrants highlights the US’ double standards. Donald Trump must realise that the BRICS grouping, despite inner conflicts, can disrupt his expansionist dreams and tariff war. These may be harsh words but much softer than his upending the world with an open expansionist agenda of subjugating Canada and Greenland. Donald Trump has opened too many fronts of confrontation soon after his swearing in.

Vinod Johri

New Delhi

Forex pressures

Apropos ‘Forex reserves:How healthy are India’s holdings?’ (January 29. The economic prosperity of a country depends upon how much foreign currency it has in terms of dollar. Currently the forex reserve of the country is exhausting thanks to sale of dollars to stabilise the sliding rupee.

At this juncture of geo-political and economical instability, building huge forex is a must.

India now has to give more dollars for gold import and oil bill payment. We ought to hike forex reserve through hiked exports FDI, FPI.

NRI remittance and External Commercial Borrowings. At the same time conservative use of forex on reasonable grounds will ensure safety reserve of forex.

NR Nagarajan

Sivakasi