With reference to "Next, a surgical strike on poverty?" (October 3), kudos to the writer for weaving recent military operations into the development needs of India by beautifully explaining how lessons on planning, management and execution of the "surgical strikes" can be used to eliminate poverty.
There are several pockets, including many in states like Kerala, where the local population has eliminated poverty and shown improvements in human development indicators. Whether you attribute it to militant trade unionism or the colour of the flags held by parties in power, the credit for this goes to the insistence by workers for minimum basic wage.
One hopes the concept of basic minimum income, which is being proposed as one of the main themes of the forthcoming Economic Survey, will start a healthy debate on the need for grassroots improvements in income distribution to ensure sustainable economic growth.
A pragmatic approach to sharing of wealth can reduce several security concerns worldwide and ensure better living conditions not only for the deprived but for many among the rich and powerful who feel insecure today.
M G Warrier, Mumbai
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