Power down

Sir — While roughly 8.5 million people worldwide were at their wit’s end when their computers kept showing them a blue bug-check screen after a Microsoft outage following a software update, an even greater number of people perhaps were upset at their devices functioning as usual. The outage happened on a Friday, ensuring that office workers who were affected by it got what in essence was a long weekend while those whose machines worked fine were stuck with an increased workload. A forced day off would not be a bad thing in this fast-paced world that refuses to power down.

Nitisha Shah, Calcutta

Tough challenges

Sir — The Union finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, is to present the Union budget tomorrow. The budget is not just a revenue and expenditure statement; it has to be understood as a representation of the policies and the politics of the incumbent government. Unlike since 2019, when the Bharatiya Janata Party had 303 seats in the Lok Sabha, it now has just 240 seats and is leading a coalition government. The reduced seat tally for the BJP suggests a resentment with and a dissent against the economic policies adopted by the government during its second term. This year’s budget, thus, will be keenly watched.

Sanjit Ghatak, Calcutta

Sir — Some of the major campaign planks in the 2024 general election were unemployment, concerns about inflation and questions around social and economic justice. The budget might attempt to address some of these issues by increasing allocations to the neglected Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and by instituting a similar programme for the urban unemployed. But this will still not be enough unless the government does something to address the absence of job creation through the private sector and the market.

D.J. Azavedo, Bengaluru

Sir — Given the poor performance of India on the Human Development Index and the Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index, education, health and housing for the deprived sections ought to find higher allocations combined with employment-generation schemes in this budget. The rhetoric of India having become the fifth-largest economy is hollow. Such misplaced confidence should not reflect in the budget.

Fakhrul Alam, Calcutta

Sir — Aspirational Indians have not really benefited as much as they expected from the high rates of economic growth witnessed in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. The sale of two-wheelers, the choice of aspirational Indians, has crashed. As Nirmala Sitharaman gets ready to present the Union budget, the overarching challenge for her is to formulate steps to ensure that livelihood opportunities for Indians improve
and their standards of living go up.

M.C. Vijay Shankar, Chennai

Sir — The political backdrop against which the Union budget will be presented is remarkably different from that of the previous 10 budgets. How the ruling dispensation has read the fractured election verdict, and what it perceives its chances are in the upcoming state elections could well have a bearing on the contours of the budget proposals. After all, it will feel the need to wrestle back control over the narrative.

Pratima Dutta, Calcutta

Sore winners

Sir — Argentina’s gifted footballers, led by Lionel Messi, reinforced their superiority by defeating Colombia in the Copa America final. However, the triumph was stained by the distasteful celebration that followed. On the way back from the stadium, the champions sang a song steeped in racism. Racism in football is not new. But it was especially jarring that it was not fans targeting players, but the players themselves insulting their counterparts. These footballers have done a disservice to the game of football. Messi should send across a clear message against racism that will endure longer than the hurtful victory celebrations given his stature in world football.

Indranil Saha, Calcutta

Ray of hope

Sir — For more than a century since it was discovered by the German neuroscientist, Alois Alzheimer, the disease named after him has boggled the scientific community. It is heartening that the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, has discovered a blood test that can detect the biomarkers of the disease 10-15 years before it becomes full-blown. An early diagnosis can help clinicians manage symptoms better. Dementia screenings are particularly relevant for India where cognitive impairments are often confused with natural signs of ageing. The disease remains poorly understood, even amongst sections of the medical community, and patients live with symptoms that their near ones find difficult to manage.

With the population of the elderly growing in India, the disease could affect close to 1.7 crore people by 2035. The blood test developed by AIIMS researchers should be a key part of India’s healthcare strategy for its elderly.

Dyuti Banerjee, Calcutta