Pro-flyer moves

Apropos, the Editorial ‘Plane truths’, (March 24), the DGCA’s recent directives are a decisive step toward protecting passenger rights.

In a near-duopoly by IndiGo and Air India regulatory intervention becomes essential.

Seat selection, once limited to premium rows, had expanded to cover nearly 85-95 per cent of seats, imposing unfair costs on travellers. With about 500,000 domestic passengers flying daily, this move offers tangible relief while reinforcing airline accountability in delays, cancellations, and denied boarding.

N Sadhasiva Reddy

Bengaluru

Institutional credibility

With reference to the news item ‘SEBI board clears tighter conflict code, FPI fund netting” (March 24), the slew of internal compliance reforms of the team adopted by the regulator, obliterates the policy shortcomings emanated earlier in some suspected quid pro quo transactions involving the top management and re-establishes the credibility. While the new investment restrictions involving the spouses and dependent family members of employees may pose some legal challenges, the periodical disclosures and recusals imposed in potential conflicts, would help people handling the sensitive matters.

It would be prudent, if the new ethics and code, extensively covers disclosure norms of any moral turpitude, malfeasance in previous employment, pending taxation compliances, violation of public policy norms, accountability and the penal actions for mis-representation and non-compliances etc. of the top management, to retain the public trust in the institution.

Sitaram Popuri

Bengaluru

Yuan’s tactical benefits

Ram Singh’s analysis is careful to separate signal from system, which is precisely the distinction most commentary on this subject misses.

The petroyuan is not a rival reserve currency — it lacks the institutional depth, capital account openness, and legal framework that would make it one. But as a tactical instrument for sanctions evasion and corridor-specific settlements, it is already functional and growing.

For India deepening rupee-based trade arrangements, expanding currency swap agreements, and building cross-border payment infrastructure are necessary adjustments to a financial landscape that is already shifting.

Excessive dependence on China’s state-managed financial ecosystem, however, would simply replace one vulnerability with another.

M Barathi

Bengaluru

Published on March 24, 2026