Battling depression
This refers to the edit, “Depression Development”(July 8). A strong will power is the best way to fight depression. The diagnosis, whether made early or late, by a doctor or a computer programme, leads the patient to medicines only—the drugs are nothing but sleeping pills. A doctor’s prescription is a must to get tablets for depression, as medical shops do not give such pills across the counter. Not only this, the shop also put its stamp on the prescription, noting details like the medicine’s name, quantity, and the expiry date, apart from issuing a bill. The shopkeeper also keeps a copy of the prescription. Depression pills are not sold across the counter because, in many cases, people have committed suicides by taking an overdose of such pills and therefore, the pharmacists also want to play safe. Even the doctor prescribing such medicines may give prescription for a shorter period—say, for one to three months. The patient has to visit the psychiatrist at regular intervals, to get the prescription refilled, which is like visa to get these pills. There are many reasons for a person to go into depression—economic problems, personal problems, including marital ones (whether broken marriages or otherwise), and others like harassment from the different quarters. The society has to change its outlook towards depressed people. Are our laws being framed to make people happy so that they do not get into depression? If Bhutan follows an index of happiness, why can’t we?
Deendayal M Lulla
Mumbai
Bridging India’s digital divide
This refers to the report “Industry pledges R4.5 lakh cr for Digital India” (July 2). While the government could boast of exemplary success in financial inclusion, the key question now is whether it will be possible to achieve similar success in digital inclusion. Both financial and digital inclusion are propelling forces for attaining high economic growth and social development. Rural areas, particularly the hinterlands, as a prerequisite, need an enhanced thrust on improving literacy to create a conducive environment for promoting villagers to take advantage of the Digital India programme. Since the digital divide in India, between the urban and rural areas, is wide, concerted effort would be necessary to speed up the process of digitalisation. The curriculum in schools and colleges need further strengthening, in sync with dynamic technology to cope up with the requirements of industry as well as enhancing the employability of students on the completion of their course. The enthusiasm of the leaders of India Inc points to their commitment to transform India, and as such, the government must focus on extending the due support to industry to accelerate the Digital India programme and delivering corruption-free governance, besides creating more employment opportunities for the educated unemployed youth of the country.
VSK Pillai
Kottayam
Milking a non-controversy
For the deadbeat Congress, the Lalit-Modi controversy has proved to be a god-sent issue that enables the party to wriggle out of the pit it has been in ever since it lost the elections last year so thoroughly. The mercurial former IPL commissioner has been tweeting in a way to show the BJP in a poor light. How else can one explain the overwhelming number of saffron party persons he has accused of alleged misdeeds as against a minor sprinkling of the names of a few Congressmen thrown in between? That is how this alleged absconder wants to present his image before the public as an impartial “fact-finder”.
Arun Malankar
Mumbai
