Received wisdom

 Sir - The media coverage of India's acquisition of a nuclear submarine from Russia on lease is pointless and reeks of jingoistic nationalism ("Second N-sub from Russia", Nov 1). It is a matter of great shame for one of the world's largest democracies and a major military power to be dependent on Western countries for the supply of advanced military hardware and equipment even after 68 years of Independence. It is difficult to accept that India is unable to develop its own technology for producing military hardware in spite of being blessed with so many scientific institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology, the Indian Institute of Science and the Defence Research and Development Organization. This means either India has a serious problem in identifying true scientific talent or it is suffering from a lack of confidence. The prime minister, Narendra Modi, must be appreciated for initiating research and development in the field of military manufacture. However, policy announcements are much easier to make than undertaking their actual execution.

The failure of premier Indian institutes to produce high quality military hardware also indicates that they lack the necessary infrastructure, training and experience to achieve these ends. Some institutions like the Indian Space Research Organization, All India Institute of Medical Sciences and Indian Council of Agricultural Research have earned accolades for their achievements. But several other organizations have failed to contribute positively to the development of science and technology. Their only contribution is to churn out graduates who are solely interested in working for multinational companies.

Serious introspection is, therefore, necessary. If India fails to develop its own military technology within a decade and keeps on buying outdated technology, hardware and equipment from Western nations, its military capability would be seriously compromised. This would affect India's security goals as well as its global ambitions.

Yours faithfully,Saikat Kumar Basu,Lethbridge, Canada

On sale

Sir - The recent directive from the ministry of science and technology asking the public-funded laboratories to seek financial support from private entities reflects a lack of commitment on the part of the government towards scientific research.

Cutting funds allotted to public research bodies and pushing them to seek financial support from industry will defeat the very purpose of knowledge production. It is wrong on the part of the government to withdraw support for academic work at a time when several young people are aspiring for higher education. The decision to slash funds would also be seen as a signal of the government's intent to open up higher education to foreign private institutions.

Treating education as a commodity goes against the constitutional obligations that the State owes towards the weaker sections of society. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research is the backbone of scientific and technological research in the country. In spite of not being paid as much as their peers in the private sector, researchers continue to work hard, driven only by their passion for knowledge.

However, it seems that the efforts of research scholars have been deemed unworthy by the government. Is there then a case for the Centre to be reminded that scientific development is vital for the growth of the nation?

Yours faithfully,Amrapali Roy, Jamshedpur

Parting shot

Sir - It has been found that many young people from the rural areas of the country are no longer inclined to pursue farming as an occupation. This, undoubtedly, has to do with the fact that in spite of its labour intensive nature, agriculture in India is providing only negligible returns throughout the year.

What is significant is that farmers do not enjoy any leave. Their inability to afford imported high-quality seed varieties coupled with the ever-increasing costs of production have added to their woes. The government should take immediate steps so that benefits can reach even the marginal farmers.

Yours faithfully,T.S. Karthik,Chennai