Letters: Licence Raj: The real villain

In his column White Knight, Bhupesh Bhandari attributes the perceived improvement in product quality and after-sale service to the entry of multinational companies (“Swadeshi, circa 2012,” August 31). But the real villain was the Licence Raj. India would have seen a similar amelioration in product quality and service had we done away with licensing and encouraged domestic competition. The gradual lowering of the protectionist customs duty would have provided an added impetus. Multinational companies are not a must and their role needs broader debate.

Mahesh D Bakhai, Mumbai

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