Re-inforce people’s trust trust to restore growth
Economic Times, February 25,
2013
By Pradeep S Mehta
A new leader, a
growth panel, and judicial, electoral and governance reforms
are the steps to restore people’s trust. Among a menu of
discordant happenings and noises, one arm of the government
says that we can expect five percent growth, while another
says it is a mistake, and we can expect higher growth.
Consequently, and also due to variety of other factors,
people are losing their faith and confidence, and worse, do
not trust the polity or the bureaucracy or business. The
system needs an overhaul. Many of these steps need to be
taken up by the government in a proactive fashion, and with
the active involvement of states. Only then can we destroy
the enemy, who is among us.
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India and the WTO procurement deal
The Hindu Business
Line, February 21, 2013
By Archana Jatkar,
Vinitha Johnson
Government
procurement holds out promise in the context of slowdown,
but India should weigh its options. In 2010, India attained
an ‘observer status’ in the WTO Government Procurement
Agreement (GPA). Its ascension to full member status in GPA
hangs in the balance. It gathered momentum with the slowdown
in world trade and increase in current account deficits of
several major economies.
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The Competition Commission is not as bad as is portrayed
Financial Express, February
11, 2013
By Pradeep S Mehta
“What is very
important is the quality of the regulator, the whole
principle; architecture ultimately depends on the calibre,
quality and the professional capability of those who are
going to actually carry on the process of regulation.” Thus
spoke Ashok Chawla, chairman, Competition Commission of
India (CCI) while launching the CUTS/CIRC third biennial
report on the State of Competition & Regulation, 2011 in
Delhi on December 27. The report inter alia bares the
quality of regulation and the independence of regulators,
including the competition agency, in India. Perhaps, Chawla
was expressing his angst on how they are doing. A lot can be
said about the CCI’s abilities to come out with some
excellent reasoning in its judgments. With time, we hope
that this is a pervasive feature of all of its orders.
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Cross border Trading on opportunities
The News, Pakistan, February 03, 2013
By Pradeep S Mehta
and Abid Suleri
One feels sorry
about the recent tension between India and Pakistan across
the line of control not only due to the losses of precious
lives on both side but also due to the fact that such
unfortunate incidents may ruin the nascent peace process.
However, it is heartening to note that tension is easing off
and both the governments still seem to continue working
towards implementation of SAFTA through bilateral trade
normalisation. Last two years had witnessed a number of
promising developments on commercial relations between India
and Pakistan. And they have to be nurtured as against just
crying over Pakistan’s decision to delay the grant of
Most-Favoured-Nation status to trade with India. Recent
developments show that Pakistan has provided de facto
MFN to India.
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