Bitter taste

Sir — Cadbury has launched an advertisement campaign urging viewers to support their local retailers this Diwali. While this does help small businesses gain visibility, companies as big as Cadbury must do a lot more to effect real change. Chocolate manufacturers have been repeatedly accused of human rights violations and causing environmental damage — a lot of cocoa used in their chocolate is grown illegally in national parks and other protected areas in African countries, causing massive deforestation and diminishing the habitats of native animals. In order to earn the trust of the people, such companies must first alter their policies to make their production methods ecologically sustainable.

Esha Dutta,
Calcutta

Right direction

Sir — The ministry of social justice has finally proposed to decriminalize the possession of small quantities of narcotic drugs (“Trap door”, Nov 1). It has recommended that such users be treated as victims rather than criminals by amending the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. The Act, as it stands, hung like the sword of Damocles over the heads of such victims. Decriminalization of the Act would give addicts a chance at rehabilitation — spending time in jail would do them little good. Addicts do not only hail from affluent families; students, too, are caught in the trap of drug peddlers. The amendment should be brought during the winter session itself.

K. Nehru Patnaik,
Visakhapatnam

Sir — The clarity of vision of the Union ministry of social justice must be lauded. Addiction is not a problem that can be solved by punishing the addict. The addicts themselves are rendered vulnerable by their addiction and require help. This is why it is important to rehabilitate them. The real culprits in this matter are the drug smugglers and dealers. They exploit potential users for monetary profit. Stringent steps must be taken against them once declared guilty.

Debojit Chakraborty,
Calcutta

Sir — The move in favour of decriminalizing the NDPS Act is encouraging. The Centre finally seems to have understood the root of the drug problem in India.

Abhishek Samanta,
Howrah

Dismal loss

Sir — The writing on the wall has become clear, once again, with the Indian men’s cricket team recording its second-lowest total in a Twenty20 World Cup against New Zealand. Incidentally, its lowest total was also against the Kiwis, in Nagpur in 2016. With this defeat, India’s T20 World Cup dreams are effectively over.

The team is losing matches because it underestimates the abilities of its opponents. Even the appointment of M.S. Dhoni, known for his calmness, as mentor has not helped. In the match against New Zealand, sending Ishan Kishan in as an opener resulted in failure. Rohit Sharma, who came in at number three, also crumbled under pressure. Hardik Pandya, favoured by both the captain and the head coach, scored only 23 runs and appeared to be a liability. One also wonders why the most experienced spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, was relegated to the bench. Instead, Varun Chakravarthy was picked in spite of his poor performance against Pakistan.

The most rankling aspect about these defeats is the humiliating manner of the losses. Team India needs to draw inspiration from the fact that it is carrying the hopes of 1.4 billion people on its shoulders.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee,
Faridabad

Sir — Following the defeat against Pakistan, the dismal performance of Team India against the Kiwis has almost drawn the curtain for the Men in Blue in the T20 World Cup. Once again, the team was outplayed in every department. Decisions taken by the team management did not yield results. Changing the opening combination of Rohit Sharma and K.L. Rahul in such a crucial match was unacceptable. India’s batsmen failed to play well even against the spin attack. Going by this performance, India does not deserve to qualify for the semi-finals. A sea change is required in the attitude of the team if India is to win such international tournaments.

Iftekhar Ahmed,
Calcutta

Sir — India’s shameful defeat against New Zealand has put the players under the media scanner. Indeed, some bitter questions must be asked. According to the recent International Cricket Council rankings, only Virat Kohli and K.L. Rahul appear among the top 10 batsmen. Rahul has failed on many occasions. Nobody from India has featured among the top 10 bowlers or all-rounders. Why was the team’s poor form not taken care of before it appeared for the T20 World Cup? Further, why were Indian Premier League top scorers like Ruturaj Gaikwad or Sanju Samson not selected and Hardik Pandya, who is unfit, kept in the team?

There is another problem. In India, people venerate cricketers. This assures them that they will not run out of sponsorship or lose the spotlight even if they do not perform. Such irresponsible attitude must change.

Abhijit Mitra,
Burdwan

Sir — Team India must not lose heart. It must learn from its mistakes and move on. Attention must be paid not only to who the best players are in the team but also to the strengths of the opponents.

Rajib Dutta,
North 24 Parganas

Steady fight

Sir — It is heartening that a recent survey in Delhi has found that 97 per cent of respondents now have antibodies against Covid-19. This has been possible because the Delhi administration has learnt lessons from its experience of last year and earlier this year. It did not leave any stone unturned and aggressively vaccinated inhabitants of the city.

Sunil Chopra,
Ludhiana