Faith and fintech
Sir — Faith clearly has no problem keeping up with fintech. The tradition of giving pranami — token monetary offerings to gods and goddesses — is not a new one. The expectation is that the offering will be used to help those in need. But the money from pranami boxes, it is feared, often disappears into the pockets of Puja organisers. This may change with the ubiquitousness of UPI. Some Puja organisers have put up QR codes for giving pranami. While it may be hilarious to think that Durga and her children have had to open UPI accounts, this at least leaves a money trail for where the pranami is going. If the goddess has not been able to ensure that the money offered in her name is used for the greater good, perhaps the income tax department can help her.
Haran Chandra Mandal,
Calcutta
Uneven reforms
Sir — The reforms in the goods and services tax are being celebrated for simplification and lowered rates but their impact on informal workers demands urgent attention (“A spending gamble”. Sept 23). Small enterprises and self-employed workers lack the digital capacity to meet compliance requirements. The State’s vision rewards formal incorporation but sidelines those who survive on fragile arrangements. Without support, this results in closures, job losses, and deeper economic exclusion. Any tax
reform that neglects the majority of India’s workforce risks undermining its legitimacy. Efficiency should not come at the cost of livelihoods.
Jahar Saha,
Calcutta
Sir — GST 2.0 has merely tightened Central control over indirect taxes while straining state budgets. Reduced compensation limits the fiscal room for states with a large number of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises. This erodes their ability to protect vulnerable workers and sustain welfare programmes. Fiscal federalism should balance national unification with local autonomy. By centralising power, GST 2.0 shifts burdens downward, leaving states accountable without adequate resources. Stronger fiscal transfers are necessary to correct this imbalance.
Yugal Kishore Sharma,
Faridabad
Sir — The uneven effects of GST reforms are visible across states. Gujarat’s textile sector suffers from increased casualisation, Punjab’s industries face insecurity after loss of rebates, and Tamil Nadu’s MSMEs struggle with compliance overheads. Kerala, despite strong welfare traditions, faces revenue shortfalls that constrain protections. The promise of harmonisation is not reflected in these experiences. Instead, the new GST structure has entrenched regional vulnerabilities and exposed workers to greater precarity.
Kamal Laddha,
Bengaluru
Poorly prepared
Sir — The deluge in Calcutta has, once again, exposed the absence of adequate drainage infrastructure. In the course of a few hours on Tuesday morning, the city recorded 332 millimetre rainfall in Kamdahari, 285 mm in Jodhpur Park, 280 mm in Kalighat, and 275 mm in Topsia. This brought the city to a standstill with transport services being suspended. Repeated warnings about the city’s vulnerability have not translated into preventive measures. Waterlogging paralyses transport, damages homes and, most tragically, claims lives — over seven people were killed in Calcutta this time. Urban planning must prioritise drainage and flood resilience, rather than cosmetic beautification projects. Civic bodies cannot continue to treat extreme rainfall as an unforeseeable act of nature. Preparedness is a civic duty. The city deserves better than ritualised disruption each monsoon.
Indranil Sanyal,
Calcutta
Sir — Over seven lives lost to electrocution during rainfall is not an unavoidable tragedy, it is negligence. Exposed wiring and unchecked power lines should have been secured well before the monsoon. Residents disconnected their meters themselves, a measure that should have been coordinated by the authorities. Public safety cannot be reactive. Regular audits of power infrastructure and emergency response drills are essential. Heavy rain cannot become a death sentence in a modern metropolis.
Bidisha Das,
Calcutta
Sir — Kolkata Metro and local train services shutdown after the rainfall on Tuesday. It revealed how vulnerable the city’s transport backbone is to flooding. A five-hour downpour should not sever the south from the rest of the city. Pumping water out after all land transport has been disrupted is not a solution. Investment in flood-proofing transport infrastructure is long overdue all over West Bengal. Sealdah, Howrah, and the Metro railways cannot collapse under predictable weather patterns. A city of this size requires transport systems that can withstand shocks without paralysing residents.
Koustabh Sengupta,
Calcutta
Sir — Durga Puja is the city’s defining festival. Yet waterlogged pandals, collapsed stalls, and disrupted preparations have left organisers stranded after the recent deluge. The economic loss to artisans, stall owners, and neighbourhood committees is immense. This is not a minor inconvenience but a blow to the livelihoods tied to the festival economy. Planning for Puja should have included emergency support for weather disruptions given the experience of past years. The state and civic authorities
must view festival preparedness as part of urban resilience.
Jayanta Datta,
Hooghly
Wrong approach
Sir — India’s TikTok ban reflects the absence of regulatory imagination. The United States of America secured compliance from TikTok through sovereign infrastructure and oversight. India, without these tools, defaulted to prohibition. Future platforms will meet the same fate unless regulatory capacity strengthens.
Ajay Tyagi,
Navi Mumbai