Good move by government
The Government of India has shown infinite wisdom and is easing the norms for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) (“India to split Air India into four separate firms for sale”, Gulf News, January 16). Foreign companies will now be permitted to own 49 per cent of the ailing Air India, the national carrier. The airline is in deep debt $7 billion and the easing of the FDI norms may encourage foreign airlines to consider investing in it. India has a huge travel market. However, sloppy management has made the national carrier an inefficient white elephant. It is time to have an Emirates or a Singapore Airlines manage it. The easing of norms pertaining to retail is fantastic news. Single brand companies will now be permitted to set up retail stores, with 100 per cent ownership. This will offer the Indian consumer an international shopping experience within India itself. However, there is a major lacuna in the FDI policy even now. Multi-branded retailers like certain supermarket chains should also be permitted to set up 100 per cent owned unit. Only then will the Indian consumer have a global shopping experience with excellent products and service in our country. The expansion of the retail industry will also create millions of jobs as salesmen, floor staff, retail mangers, supply chain staff and more. So, let us welcome multi-brand hypermarkets to India as well.
From Mr Rajendra Aneja
Dubai
Inhumane and shocking
The whole nation has gone numb over the murder of a small girl named Zainab, whose body was recovered from a trash heap in Kasur, days after she went missing (“Zainab’s case sparks panic and mob violence in Pakistan”, Gulf News, January 14). She was raped before she was strangled to death. According to reports, the DNA received and evidence from the crime scene shows a similarity with previous murders in Kasur. The nation is shaken and shocked to notice such indifference coming from law-enforcement agencies in Kasur, Punjab. As a whole, one feels let down, people are sharing their agonies through social and the print media, but we are all helpless to get justice for the poor girl, who was tortured. The question that remains unanswered is about the similar findings in other cases that were identical to those in Zainab’s case. The clandestine operation must be conducted to weed out all the paedophiles from the city and the country at large.
From Mr Nasir Soomro
Pakistan
When will this stop!
The number of rape cases are increasing every day, be it in India or in Pakistan. Some of the details are shocking. I fail to understand how people are willing to hurt others so much. They are worse than animals. Every day, girls are attacked, killed and made victims of heinous sexual activities, and yet governments are not being able to do much about the situation. I pray for the mothers and the fathers who have to bear the trauma of having their children beaten, hurt and used. When will this stop?
From Ms Anya Gupta
Dubai
VAT: The winner takes it all
After the Value Added Tax (VAT) came into effect from on January 1, I am surprised to see that shops including few major hypermarkets have raised their prices Dh1 or Dh2, excluding VAT, especially for fruits, vegetables and other items without any valid reasons (“VAT: Abu Dhabi cracks down on overcharging businesses”, Gulf News, January 10). Because, except fruits and vegetables that are perishable items, these shops and hypermarkets were selling other items from their stock they had since December of last year. For example, last year, the price of a Banana was between Dh4-Dh5 for a kilogram but now, it is Dh6 to Dh7 per kg. It’s the same with other items like potatoes, onions, tomato etc. It seems as though the shops were waiting for VAT to take effect so that they could boost their profits. Regarding the small denomination coins of 5 and 10 fils, which are not in short supply but available aplenty as per UAE Central Bank. But, the shops are not giving back the exact changes to customers, a ploy adopted by them so that they will have unaccounted cash in their pocket at the end of the day. Now, as per Central Bank’s reports, the shops and markets have got a blessing in disguise that they can round off the bill amount to the lowest 25 fils. In other words, if the invoice shows Dh5.05 and above, inclusive of VAT, the customer has to pay Dh5.25. Thus 5.80 and above is rounded off to 6. So, if 100 such customers’ balance of max 20 fils are not returned to them, the shops will get Dh20 a day, which is a good income for them. Therefore, people who lose out are the customers I suggest that Tax Authorities should initiate checking big shops, supermarkets, retailers, to unearth their malpractices. Otherwise, the customers have no choice but to use their credit and debit cards for purchases as low as Dh2, which tends to an increase in work for shops and banks. I hope, customers won’t mind paying VAT which is minimal compared to other countries. More good news is that the income generated by VAT will be added to the UAE exchequer and will be utilised for the countries’ development projects. Ultimately, these projects once developed and completed will become beneficial to the public in future, meaning the VAT paid by people is returned to them.
From A Gulf News reader
Sharjah
Name withheld on request
Better performance expected
Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma, the blue-eyed boy, has once again failed to perform at the Centurion Test and has proved that he is only fit to play shorter versions of the game. Here, he not only lost his wicket, but even wasted a review (“Rahane to the rescue for remaining Tests”, Gulf News, Jaanuary 12). He lacks proper footwork in his matches and is always vulnerable to an LBW or getting bowled out. Here too, he was struck on the back foot. There was no need for him to refer his dismissal, especially when the umpire of the match had upheld his dismissal. Ironically, his godfather and coach seemed to be annoyed with the umpire’s verdict. Hope good sense will prevail on the captain and coach, to give a chance to Rahane in the final test. Incidentally, cricketer Murli Vijay should have avoided the cut and given away his wicket. Who knows, he could be a sacrificial goat in the final test.
From Ms Kavitha Srikanth
India
Haven’t learnt from mistakes
It is unfortunate that Indian Captain Virat Kohli has failed to learn his lessons from his Cape Town follies. It is really shocking and surprising that our best bowler at Cape Town, Bhubaneshwar Kumar was dropped to accommodate cricketer Ishant Sharma. While KL Rahul has been included in place of a struggling Shikhar Dhawan, it is a real surprise to find Rohit Sharma in the playing 11, instead of Ajinkya Rahane.
From Mr N. Mahadevan
India
Always something to see!
I have been a regular visitor to the city of Dubai and it is a glamorous city. Every time I visit this country, I find that there are new tourist places to see. The Miracle Garden, the Burj Khalifa, Riverland, the Dubai Canal, Dubai Museum, Dubai Frame are a few examples. Similarly, this year also I am very fortunate to visit the most impressive Etihad Museum, which is really a dynamic 21st century museum, inspiring the visitors with the history of the formation of the UAE. The special attraction is the Union House which served as the birthplace of the UAE in 1971. I salute and congratulate the authorities for adding this to the list of tourist attractions in Dubai.
From Mr M.V.S. Guptha
Bangalore, India
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