This refers to the editorial "Red Signals". (July 12). The Railway Unions' demand for a new pay commission has some merit since the government has not been able to control prices. The Railway Vision Document 2020 concedes that the Indian Railways has the most bloated labour force in the world. Successive Railway ministers have paid little or no attention to over staffing. All the promises about improving safety, training and finances have taken a back seat. In a country beset with a serious power problem, the switch from diesel to electric locomotive is debatable. A diesel locomotive does not draw an iota of electric energy and is a virtual power house on wheels, converting fossil fuel directly, eliminating the transmission losses involved in electric traction which can be as high as 30 per cent.M M Gurbaxani, BangaloreLetters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:The Editor, Business StandardNehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar MargNew Delhi 110 002Fax: (011) 23720201  Â·  E-mail: letters@

Letters: Faulty tracks

Business Standard

For chief executives, their stock options, bonuses and equity stakes matter more than their salary. Bloomberg Rankings examined the compensation packages of more than 11,000 CEOs of US public companies. Most of the packages were loaded with restricted stock and options that vest over time. So, the actual take-home amount could be far less or far more, depending on how well or badly the companies perform. A look at the top 15:

Millions at stake

The top 50 of these mines alone contain 1/3 of total gold 33.5% or 1,006,486,918 oz

The mining of gold

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's remark in a recent interview when asked about the 2002 Gujarat riots that even if a "puppy comes under the wheel of a car, one feels sad" has elicited widespread political condemnation.Congress General Secretary Shakeel Ahmed who is active on social media, responded to this remark on his Twitter handle  adroitly evoked empathy for the common Gujarati, tweeting: "Gujratis of both the main religions were killed in Gujrat in 2002. If Modi equates human beings with puppies, it is an insult to all Gujratis."

A comparison gone wrong

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership is mulling the possibility of appointing former party chief Nitin Gadkari to handle elections in Rajasthan and Delhi. Although former chief minister Vasundhara Raje doesn't enjoy much support of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Raje hopes Gadkari's appointment to manage the election in Rajasthan will ensure support of the RSS.The former chief minister is also keen because she has a cordial tie with Gadkari, who had appointed her chief of the party unit in Rajasthan during his tenure as national president.The relation between Raje and the RSS has remained cold and during a recent visit of the RSS leadership to Jaipur, Raje had to take help of BJP President Rajnath Singh for a meeting.

Turning to Gadkari?

Amethi, Raebareli get special treatment, but struggle

Places of patronage

Interview with Managing director, Bridge to India

Solar projects delayed due to financing issues: Tobias Engelmeier

In a last-ditch effort to salvage public-private partnership (PPP) projects worth ~98,000 crore stuck due to various issues, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Chairman R P Singh last month wrote to the prime minister and the finance minister saying the matter had to be taken up at the "highest level". Cancellation of these projects would be against public interest, as the government would not be able to get similar premiums in a rebidding. Singh pointed out official delays in land acquisition and various clearances marred the premium road projects and this could make action against concessionaires difficult. Of the 21 premium projects, land acquisition was delayed by six to 18 months in 17. Further, environment clearances in 14 projects came recently as the matter was stuck in the Supreme Court. Since in many instances these delays were caused by government agencies, NHAI did not see a smooth foreclosure of these contracts, which could land up in court rooms. Here's a beginne

Roadblocks aplenty

Threatened railway strike shows problems with Indian unions

Red signals

Nothing short of deep reform will help manufacturing

Not another meeting

Home Secretary Anil Goswami, who recently took charge at the ministry, likes to spend long periods of time in contemplation and always wanted space in the office to do so. He's finally found his chance in his new assignment, courtesy an office in North Block with an attached balcony, that too, one that commands a majestic view of Rajpath. Goswami has asked his staff to have chairs put out and a canopy to cover the balcony immediately, so that he can spend time on it.

Balcony with a view

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Home R P N Singh, who has held varied portfolios as MoS (corporate affairs, roads, petroleum) appears to have expanded his reading. According to people close to him, he's started reading up on aviation and coal. Is he readying for yet another shift as the elections draw near or is he boning up on issues, already the focus of much controversy, that are about to implode within the corridors of power?

Reading the situation

How useful are foreign consultants in shaping government policy? Senior officials in the rural development ministry may have a perspective. They were in for a surprise when they attended a presentation by a noted foreign consultant on revitalising the rural roads programme. To their chagrin, they realised that the consultant, who was supposed to be an authority on the subject, was reeling off the same facts and figures that the department had given him a few weeks previously.

Feedback loop

This refers to the report, "Situation now is same as the one in '91" (July 11). I am amused to read Yashwant Sinha's statement, "They [the Reserve Bank of India and the government] should not fight the markets...". Last year, Sinha, while talking at a gathering organised by the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies, in Virginia, US, had publicly opposed foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail and the entry of Walmart in India. This opposition was also taken to Parliament. This shows that Sinha believes only in a part of the market and, thus, his views are not in support of a genuine market liberalisation. Many other politicians are also distorting the markets and business environment in India. Unless they support the policy for market liberalisation, the current partial liberalisation is not going to change economic fundamentals in India.Chandrashekhar G Ranade  Washington DCLetters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:The Editor, Business StandardNehru House, 4 Bahadur Sha

Letters: Sinha's confusion?

This refers to the editorial "Unfilled Seats" (July 11). This is a generational shift. Youngistan (young India) knows its aspirations well. Armed with adequate information, they now know the importance of a well-crafted choice in their life. They have shunned the herd mentality and come out of the shadows of parental and societal pressure, while pursuing their career. Without overtly following any dogmatic belief, they know "the art of living".Awadhesh Jha  GhaziabadLetters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:The Editor, Business StandardNehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar MargNew Delhi 110 002Fax: (011) 23720201E-mail: letters@bsmail.inAll letters must have a postal address and telephone number

Letters: Generational shift

This refers to the editorial "Unfilled seats" (11 July). With the sudden increase in the number of Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) and the consequent teething troubles, there is bound to be a dilution of brand value, both in the eyes of those seeking admission and also prospective employers. However, the reason behind the brand value of IITs has, in no small measure, been the high academic standard of the students admitted to the older IITs. So, if better performing students start opting for the new IITs, because of close proximity to their homes, if nothing else, the brand value of these new IITs can also rise over a period of time.Kishor Kulkarni  MumbaiLetters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:The Editor, Business StandardNehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar MargNew Delhi 110 002Fax: (011) 23720201E-mail: letters@bsmail.inAll letters must have a postal address and telephone number

Letters: Attaining brand value

The consequences of a quick expansion of the IITs

Unfilled seats

Measures for the rupee unlikely to make a big difference

Necessary but insufficient

Local newspapers in Chhattisgarh were flooded with expensive, full-page advertisements carrying photographs of Congress leaders killed in the recent Naxal ambush. Who placed the ads and paid for them? Amazingly, no one in the local party knows. All India Congress Committee Treasurer Motilal Vora confirms that they were not released by the party. He asked the state party chief Charandas Mahant to "probe" the sources that did not hesitate to spend lakhs of rupees behind the scenes. None of the local leaders can understand why the ad was issued in any case since the party had decided there was no scope to derive sympathy votes from the tragedy. Just to be on the safe side, Congress leaders are also scrutinising the text of the ad to discover whether it contained any derogatory remarks.

Mystery advertiser

Vijay Darda may have been questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation for allegedly misusing his position as Rajya Sabha MP and influencing the allocation of coal blocks in Chhattisgarh to a company called JLD Yavatmal Energy Limited, in which he is director and his son is associated. But this has not deterred him from leveraging his position for his core business venture as chairman of the Lokmat media group. Darda recently sent out letters to editors requesting coverage of the launch of Lokmat Samachar's Chhindwara edition. This would have been unexceptionable had it not been for the fact that the letters were signed by Darda as "Editor-in-Chief" but sent out on his Rajya Sabha letterhead, complete with an embossed gilt Ashok Chakra and a list of the official positions he holds.

A question of positioning

The Saradha collective investment scheme scandal may have encouraged the West Bengal finance department to be more cautious about releasing money, even when it involves clearing reimbursement claims of members of the legislative Assembly (MLA). That caution, however, became the cause of huge embarrassment for finance department officials. Recently, Khagen Murmu, a tribal CPI-M MLA from Habibpur (Malda), submitted two medical bills. The bills were for the MLA's spouse but against two different names. The state finance department sought clarifications from Murmu, only to be told that he does indeed have two spouses. Murmu was also irritated by the enquiry. As he pointed out, the information was very much available in his brief profile recorded with the Assembly (a fact Business Standard verified), and officials should have checked that out before approaching him. The finance department was, however, quick to release the reimbursement thereafter.

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