With reference to the news report ‘Leveraging excess SLR securities remains a challenge for banks’ (October 27), with the upswing in economic activities there is now increased demand for bank credit.
However, bank deposits are not growing in sync with credit demand. Rather than redeeming the excess investments that are lying in the Statutory Liquidity Ratio at an unprofitable price, banks must raise the rate of interest of their deposit products to attract retail depositors.
Banks must ramp up loan recovery. In the case of fresh deposits, banks have to provide SLR and CRR and get the net amount for lending, whereas the realisation from loans and advances is free from those stipulations.
Banks must also look for getting refinancing from the Development Financial Institutions at lower rates.
VSK Pillai
Changanacherry
Legislation and regulation
With reference to the article, “Online gaming: Better regulation is the answer”, (October 27), many social activists, and government officials believe that online games are addictive in nature and when played with monetary stakes lead to mounting debts and even suicides.
Online games are susceptible to manipulation by the websites operating such games against other players. Regulation of online games may be a better solution rather than an outright ban. Realising the potential of the online gaming sector, the State and the Union Governments should work together in consultation with industry stakeholders to draw guidelines.
P Sundara Pandian
Virudhunagar (TN)
Apropos ‘Online gaming: Better regulation is the answer’, it is virtually impossible to stop online gaming when technology is fast evolving to beat whatever bans the authorities may put in place. Therefore they must be regulated to a minimum.
There is a very fine line between games of skill and chance. Only a lottery could be unhesitatingly called a game of pure chance. All other forms of gaming will have an element of skill. Gambling is a human failing and people will always indulge in it. Online games have successfully disguised gambling and made it acceptable minus the guilt. Governments must not act like a moral guardian and can use it as a legitimate avenue for raising revenues.
Anthony Henriques
Mumbai
Vote bank politics
It is unbelievable to learn about the Aam Aadmi Party convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s demand that the Centre should print images of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha on new currency notes to bring “economic prosperity to 130 crore Indians by seeking the blessings of Hindu Gods and Godesses”.
Why “play with fire” by raking up such mindless and emotive issues with an eye on the Hindu votes in the poll bound poll-bound Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat?
Let the enlightened voters of the two States teach him a lesson for wilfully playing such dirty politics.
Vinayak G
New Delhi
Published on October 27, 2022
