This refers to the report, “War on financial untouchability” (August 29), on the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana. Since it is the NDA Government's first mega flagship scheme which will incorporate crores of deprived Indians into the national financial system, one expected that the media would project it as a straight-forward news item with sensible analysis. Fortunately, most did it objectively and fairly.
However, I was saddened to note that some leading English television channels treated the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana like a soap opera of political crudity they daily serve to the viewers — as if it was a controversial matter to be debated by the usual bunch of party spokespersons to pick holes to belittle and malign one another. It did not occur to the channel editors concerned that they ought to have invited economic experts and non-party civil society representatives to dispassionately examine the revolutionary initiative. That would have made the discussions meaningful and informative.