An ombudsman for investor grievances
The Hindu Business Line, November 23, 2014
By Pradeep S
Mehta
Narendra Modi’s
government has been successful to an extent in altering
perceptions about the business climate in India. It
started from a very low base, when policy paralysis ruled
the environment. But it is yet to succeed in changing the
mindset of the bureaucracy. The dream of a
business-friendly India will become a reality only when
businesses and investors have an impartial avenue to get
their grouses settled swiftly. Ombudsmen at all levels
will be pivotal in achieving this.
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Tailoring competition laws for state units
The Asian Age, November 22, 2014
By Pradeep S
Mehta
When our public
sector is much in news whether it involves privatisation
or disinvestment, it is worth recalling whether they are
good corporate citizens, especially when they are
monopolies. Many are not. This was evident when the
Competition Commission of India fined a whopping Rs 1,773
crore on Coal India for abuse of dominance in December
2013. The matter is still pending final adjudication but
the issue is that Coal India has been truant. This was the
first case of fining by CCI on a state owned enterprise (SOE),
while it has come down with a heavy hand on several
private sector firms… This might call for a relook on the
manner in which the competition law is applied to SOEs.
Whilst the competition law should indeed apply to SOEs,
there might be need for the law to apply with some narrow
derogation when it comes to SOEs.
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Aviation sector must be a lot more competitive
The Asian Age, November 06, 2014
By Pradeep S
Mehta
In spite of
improving on some parameters, India has slipped down two
notches in ‘Ease of Doing Business’ from 140 to 142 out of
189 countries in the last World Bank 2014 rankings report.
The slide in position is also due to the fact that other
countries have improved considerably since 2013. This
wake-up call has provoked the Government to respond that
our rankings will improve next year as massive efforts are
on to take us to the 50th position in the not so distant
future. This is conflated with the ambitious programme of
maximising ‘Make in India’.
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Will India ever change?
The Hindu
Business Line, November 06, 2014
By Pradeep S
Mehta
In spite of
improving on some parameters, India has slipped down two
notches in ‘Ease of Doing Business’ from 140 to 142 out of
189 countries in the last World Bank 2014 rankings report.
The slide in position is also due to the fact that other
countries have improved considerably since 2013. This
wake-up call has provoked the Government to respond that
our rankings will improve next year as massive efforts are
on to take us to the 50th position in the not so distant
future. This is conflated with the ambitious programme of
maximising ‘Make in India’.
More...
Myanmar’s economy on a growth path
The Asian Age,
November 06, 2014
By Pradeep S
Mehta
Myanmar is now
on the growth path with several countries providing aid
and technical assistance. India is one of them, for
several reasons. India shares a border with Myanmar and
have a treaty to build the India-Myanmar Friendship
Highway and the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway.
The Friendship Highway is lagging but one hope it will
pick up speed soon after the government of India has
agreed to increase its role. Both these roads will help
our and Myanmar’s economy in a big way.
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