Precious possession

Sir — A holy dip at the Mahakumbh may wash away one’s sins but it clearly cannot prevent a stroke of bad luck. The Kabiraj family of Bhadreshwar was away for the religious event when their home was broken into. The thief made away with valuables like gold ornaments, cash and an expensive camera. Yet, the theft that hurt Sangita Kabiraj, one of the family members, the most was that of her precious facewash. She has lodged a complaint with the police regarding this. Given the exorbitant price of skincare products these days, it is not surprising that she covets her facewash more than her jewellery.

Roshni Mehra,
Calcutta

Blame game

Sir — An American Airlines flight with 64 people aboard collided with an army helicopter while approaching the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport before crashing into the Potomac river (“64 die in midair crash near Capitol”, Jan 31). It is surprising that such an accident occurred in spite of the advanced communication technology available these days. Further, it is unfortunate that the president of the United States of America, Donald Trump, blamed policies made by his predecessors, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, for the tragedy.

N. R. Ramachandran,
Chennai

Sir — Preliminary investigation of the airplane crash in the US indicates that it was the army helicopter that was out of place and in the way of the airplane despite warnings from air traffic control. Rescue operations have been made difficult by the icy waters of the Potomac river.

Jayanta Datta,
Hooghly

Sir — Donald Trump has speculated that the crash of a passenger plane with an army helicopter was due to diversity policies initiated by his predecessors which had compromised air safety standards. While this may be a baseless accusation, the clear sky on the night of the accident reduces the probability of low visibility due to bad weather conditions causing the crash.

R.S. Narula,
Patiala

Sir — Across the world, right-wing governments take credit for positive developments during their tenure and blame previous governments for everything that goes wrong. Donald Trump has thus predictably blamed the incompetence of the former presidents, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, for the recent aviation tragedy. These so-called nationalist leaders of right-wing governments refuse to take accountability for their faults.

Jang Bahadur Singh,
Jamshedpur

Poor index

Sir — It is disappointing that West Bengal has ranked 16th out of 18 states on the NITI Aayog’s Fiscal Health Index report (“Backbencher”, Jan 29).
The state’s dwindling spending on vital areas such as infrastructure and social services has led to vast unemployment and low output. The chief minister’s campaign to attract investment requires a clear vision.

Jahar Saha,
Calcutta

Sir — The fiscal performances of states vary because each has its unique advantages and challenges in managing its economy. A recent study by the Reserve Bank of India showed that the debt levels of most states are considerably above the fiscal norm. The Fiscal Health Index gives a good picture of the relative positions of states which should help improve policy formation.

Khokan Das,
Calcutta

Sir — The Fiscal Health Index reveals huge variations in budgets across states. Given the rising debt-to-gross domestic product ratio, long-term fiscal health must be prioritised by the states.

Anshu Bharti,
Begusarai, Bihar