This refers to the edit “Road map for reform’’ (September 24). The timing of and the way in which reforms are implemented matter as much as the impact they may have. But the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)-II seems to have paid little attention to this detail. Instead of a hasty withdrawal of subsidy on diesel and LPG cylinders, a gradual phase-out over five years would have been more palatable to the aam aadmi. Moreover, the UPA’s sudden, new-found zeal to allow foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail smacks of its need to deflect public attention from the latest mega scam in coal blocks allocation. Though economic reforms are welcome, they raise public suspicion if they are lopsided and ill-timed. There is no way of explaining how small and local businesses will withstand foreign competition once the retail sector is opened up. The often-touted benefits of FDI in retail seem hypothetical and not borne out by empirical evidence in the Indian context. Inviting foreign players to compete without creating a level playing field in manufacturing, cost competitiveness, product quality, storage, and distribution and delivery infrastructure makes little sense.
Venkatesh N Muttur, Hubli
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