Buying oil, U.S. response
The buying of Russian oil, or for that matter from anywhere, cannot be questioned by the United States President as it is solely at the discretion of those running the country after considering various factors. But the response from the Indian government spokesperson on Mr. Trump’s assertions on Russian oil purchase is anything but strong. The response should come from the political leadership and not from a ‘lowly government spokesperson’ — if the denial is to have any positive impact on the U.S. President. Why is the political leadership so reluctant to take on Mr. Trump?
V. Padmanabhan,
Bengaluru
The domestic worker
There is little official data available on the actual numbers and other parameters of domestic workers in India, such as their work conditions and average pay. The lack of data leaves them out of any formal policy that governs India’s informal workers (Opinion page, “We need a law to protect domestic workers”, October 22). Domestic work in India remains one of the most undervalued and least regulated forms of employment. Due to a very unbalanced employer-employee relation, domestic workers experience exploitation, poor recognition and a high degree of exposure to isolation and violence. There are no laws to deal with the specific problems that arise in this sphere of work. A dedicated law, therefore, is much needed to ensure minimum entitlements, recognise domestic work as legitimate work, and provide mechanisms for grievance redress.
R. Sivakumar,
Chennai