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Plea to UPSC

Sir,

This has a reference to a 'Public Notice' about the Union Public Service Commission which is going to celebrate its platinum Jubilee in November 2002. On this occasion there is an essay competition which is to be sent to Union Public Service Commission. But you have not published the address to which the essay is to be sent. Please publish the address in the Daily Excelsior. I shall be very thankful to you.

Yours etc..
Virender Gupta
Gandhi Nagar,
Jammu.

New Initiative

Sir,

This has reference to a news item captioned ''K P, Muslims meet for first time in thirteen years'', Daily Excelsior dated 31.3.2002. The initiative though first in nature is yet premature and unwanted. The gun has not silenced and the fundamentalists separatists are still very active in the Valley. The elements of 'liberating Kashmir' too, have not reconciled so far. The community of Kashmiri pandits have also not drawn the contours for the return to the Valley. Any premature and untimely experiment in this behalf can harm the community interests. Perhaps this may have been a potential reason for the sincere and meaningful community leaders to abstain from such participation in the new initiative. The statement of Muzaffar Shah of Awami National Conference is also discouraging and dictatorial, ''Against pointing Accessing fingers'' Somewhere, some truth is to be accepted which is always bitter but truth only can lay foundation for future precaution. Therefore, such an initiative, when taken prematurely is sure to develop controversies, which can further widen the strained relations. The community of pandits cannot forget the role of certain individuals and organisations which instigated selective killings of KPs in 1989 and 1990. That was ultimately the main cause for mass exodus. Interaction is alright but with whom, when and where? The Hurriyat Conference is aiding and abetting terrorism and most of the parties in this amalgam plead for Islamisation of the Valley. Therefore, moderates, if any, have to come out from this amalgam. They only can start new initiatives. It is clear that KPs are true nationalists, secularists and accept the accession as final and irrevocable. Those who consider Kashmir as an issue must not deceive the people by these new initiatives. The common simple Muslim was hypnotised by whom. This is a point to be taken cognizance of. Majority Community support from genuine elements, together with constitutional guarantees minority status and reserved quota in State legislature and other institutions can be considered at the proper time. The KP Community suffered a lot for not fault of it. Therefore, it merits all sympathy from all quarters. One can have genuine apprehensions about the new initiative, it may not prove a sabotage to the community collective interests at the hands of vested ones.

Yours etc...
P L Koul (Budgami)
Jammu.

Banks as 'Business entities'

Sir,

Apropos Mr J M Behl's letter published on 27.3.2002 I wish to offer pointwise clarifications as given below in my personal capacity-

Fistly, I would like to thank Mr Behl for appreciating PNB's gesture in keeping Rs 500/- as minimum stipulated balance in saving accounts. For rules regarding dishonouring of cheques I would like to quote Mr P N Varshney an authority on banking laws and practice in India.''

''The banker is under an obligation to make payment of his customer's cheques so long as he posseses sufficient funds to the credit of the latter. Failure to do so without sufficient reasons make him liable under section 31 (of the negotiable Instruments Act, 1881) to compensate the drawer (of the cheque) for any loss or damage caused by such default.. The minimum balance required to be maintained in a current account or savings accounts is deemed as available for honouring the cheques. That amount should not be regarded as frozen by the Banker. If the minimum balance is reduced below the prescribed amount, the banker should honour the cheque and may charge an incidental charge from the customer for this default.'' Keeping this in view, we at PNB do not dishnour customer's cheques even if the resultant balance falls below the minimum stipulated limit. The people in SBI must be having some basis for dishonouring the cheques or laying of incidential charges on pension accounts which they can better explain.

Secondly, Mr Behl seems to be under the impression that the public sector banks are minting enormous benefits/profits from their urban operations. But I would like to inform Mr Behl that due to the obligations of social banking , PSBs are burdened with a significant number of financially unviable branches in rural and semi urban areas which are not allowed to be closed down in RBI. For example, PNB has a Branch in Chowalgam area of Kashmir valley having a deposit base of Rs 12 lacs. Mr Behl can well imagine the heavy profit generated by such branches.

Also in present era of privatisation, every responsible Indian citizen should accept the fact that more sooner than later, an acceptable relationship has to be developed between the cost of providing service to the customers of any organisation and price charged for the same. At a time, when PSBs are expected to compete with new generation private and foreign banks in the fields of customer service, profitability, technology adaptation and employee productivity, they should also be provided with a level playing field by allowing them the choice of staff, choice of technology, choice of location and the most important of all, the choice of Customer at par with the private and foreign banks. To remain economically viable and fundamentally strong commercial banks in India will have to be treated as 'Business Entities' and not as distributing arms of social welfare departments of State and Central Govts Mr Behl cannot expect to get free of cost facilities like 'anywhere banking' 'tele banking' or 'net banking' etc. by maintaining a balance of Rs 200/- in saving fund account. To conclude, there is a famous proverb in Arab counries ''You cannot buy a camel for the price of a goat''.

Yours etc...
Rajesh Gupta
PNB Officer
10/5 Trikuta Nagar,
Jammu.

Award grace marks

Sir,

Some of the questions in Physics B paper series P3 of 12th Standard of J&K BOSE were out of syllabus and this will definitely tell upon the merit of the students who were given these sets at some centres. Is not the duty of officers of J&K Boardof Sec Education to check the papers before they are finalised or they feel happy in playing with the carrier of hard working students for no fault of student community. Some parts of some questions (2(a) (or) part, (3(a) (or) part) were out of syllabus and the BOSE should award grace marks for these questions to those students who have received these sets CBSE has been streamlining its examination pattern by giving simple questions and multiple choice to its students as announced by its Chairman on private news channel recently, but our Board has been going in opposite direction without any firm policy. It does not give guidelines to its paper checking staff that what criteria should they adopt in awarding marks. That is why the students of CBSE get marks in nineties compared to J&K BOSE students who get less marks and are neglected during selection of various courses in some colleges where there is selection on the basis of marks obtained in 12th. Standard. Since the papers are being checked at present BOSE should issue necessary guide lines in this behalf as early as possible and also award grace marks in Physics B series P3.

Yours etc...
M L Razdan
Jammu.