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Health matters The article ‘Why the raw deal for group health insurance?’, (November 6), makes a cogent argument for waiver of GST on group health insurance. But we cannot overlook the fact that the group medical insurance which constitutes a lion’s share of the large pie of insurance premium, hides many serious, unjust practices embedded in its very nature. The most atrocious being that the groups generally get favourable terms in the form of discounted premium, lax underwriting norms and favoured claim settlement. This leads to unnecessary inflated premium for the hapless individual health insurance buyer: a sort of cross subsidy. That an individual health insurance buyer has to fund the shortfall caused by the group insurance segment is unfair. One hopes the authorities look into this underlying anomaly and also resolve it. Jose Abraham Kottayam (Kerala) Banking boost It is really heartening to learn that the total balance under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) has crossed ₹2.75 lakh crore mark (November 6). Banking habit among the public plays a significant role in the economic growth, as savings and credit creation go hand in hand. As far as India is concerned, it is imperative that the banks have their loan portfolio simple and effective to maximise their profits and also bring down their non-performing assets significantly. S Ramakrishnasayee Telecom tangle The Editorial ‘Turning point’ (November 6) is a well-articulated commentary on the telecom sector especially with respect to the AGR dues. The edit argues for a strong, viable third operator to ensure a vibrant sector. The Supreme Court’s recent ruling gives much leeway to the government to take measures including reliefs on the AGR front. This is timely. Indeed, the government has already done the heavy-lifting by converting substantial dues of Vi into equity. But there is no talk on the role of BSNL/MTNL in the crucial telecom sector. Already huge amounts have been poured into the PSUs and it is time to take stock. There must be a clear-cut roadmap for these to play a meaningful role in India’s telecom sector. V Vijaykumar Published on November 6, 2025
