Letters

Environmental agenda

A large number of Down To Earth readers are sure that the Bharatiya Janata Party ( bjp ) government will give due emphasis to environmental and ecological issues. The people who responded to your survey have given the first and second priority to law and order and insurgency problems of India. Only a stable government under an able leadership can launch environment and ecological protection programmes which can put to end the damage to the environment. Protection of India's cultural and human environment is in bjp' s environmental agenda. It perhaps includes protecting the country's unique flora and fauna.

RAM KRISHNA CHOUDHURI
West Bengal....

Shattering myths

The article 'The colour of money' ( Down To Earth , Vol 6, No 22; April 15) explained the truth about eco-friendly products, eco-mark and the labelling of products. Most of these facts are unknown to many in this country. The article also exposed the claim about cfc -free refrigerators. Thank you Down To Earth for this effective consumer education.

K MAHEEN
Trichy, Tamil Nadu....

Small units, big polluters

This is with reference to the article 'Small is polluting' ( Down To Earth , Vol 6, No 21; March 31). The story discusses the pollution caused by the small scale industries. There seems to be no clear-cut mechanism to reduce the pollution level generated by this sector. Because of inaction, they contribute an estimated 65 per cent of industrial pollution load in the country. In the past, policy makers have failed to take note of the pollution from the small scale industries. It is high time for all the concerned bodies to look into the matter seriously and devise strategies to solve the problem.

AMIT CHAKRABORTY
New Delhi....

More health stories

I am a student of medicine and a regular reader of Down To Earth . I want to congratulate you for your excellent section on health and medicine. Every fortnight, we -- those who cannot afford to purchase or subscribe to foreign science magazines -- get an opportunity to know the latest developments in medical science across the world. Though in most cases the stories might appear to have a Western bias, it does not matter because science is a truly universal language that knows no geopolitical barriers. And this is, perhaps, most apt for medical science. Here's hoping to enjoy all your forthcoming issues.

KUNAL MAJUMDAR
Calcutta....

Spend more on education

I was shocked to read the article, 'The mess we are in' ( Down To Earth , Vol 6, No 23; April 30). There are around 50 million children not attending school in South Asia. This region is also the most malnutritioned and the least gender-sensitive parts in the world. In India, the quality of education provided by most primary schools is low. The gulf between the literacy rate among people living in the rural and urban areas has increased over the years. Over 90 per cent for the rich urban males to a mere 17 per cent for poor, rural scheduled caste women.

The undp reports, from where the figures are quoted, also offer some solutions. The Union and the state governments must develop strategies to combat illiteracy. Because only by education can we teach them about health care. If only India spent less on defence budgets and more on education.

VIVEK RAI
New Delhi....

Errata

In the graph presenting the comparative position of average firewood price and wholesale prices during 1989-1997 on page 41 ( Down To Earth , Vol 7, No 1; May 31), the legend of the graph representing adjusted average firewood price and the adjusted wholesale price index were interchanged.

In the article, 'Piercing problem' ( Down To Earth , Vol 6, No 24; May 15) it should have been "around 70 per cent of the people affected by hiv in Manipur have been infected through intravenous syringes." The errors are regretted....

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