Bureaucracy has had it too easy
The Hindu Business Line, April 14, 2016

By Pradeep S Mehta

Only now are they in the line of fire. Some lateral thinking is required to reform the administration.
This seems to be a season of some good news as far as administrative reforms for economic growth is concerned. The commerce department at the nudge of the Prime Minister’s Office is considering setting up a large specialised team to negotiate international trade deals. Such a team would comprise specialists drawn from the Indian Trade Service, Indian Foreign Service and trade lawyers.. More...

Don’t blame global crisis for exports slide
The Hindu, Business Line, April 1, 2016

By Pradeep S Mehta

ndia can scale up on the Ease of Doing Business metric only if States, along with the Centre, pull themselves up
India’s distorted factor markets, poor infrastructure and an overvalued currency have played a major role in this decline
Last year on this day, the government of India had released the new Foreign Trade Policy (FTP), 2015-20. It was, by no means, a Fools Day prank. It laid a foolproof plan to enhance India’s trade ecosystem and competitiveness. More...