“Regulating regulators” (June 2) makes valid points when it comes to improving the performance of regulatory bodies in the country. Getting the regulators to award licences instead of the parent ministries is a good way to reduce favouritism and, at the same time, the draft regulatory Bill has found ways to make the regulator more accountable. You have pointed out some flaws in the Bill, but have omitted to mention the main point.
Whatever be the controversy over various regulators, it cannot be denied that the process is much better than the political process that it replaced. Even those who disagree with a regulator’s stance can challenge this in the appellate process since the regulator has to give a “reasoned” argument, and in writing. In the earlier era when the government took all decisions, no reasons were ever given, and certainly these were not in the public domain. While reforming regulators is important, we have to be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Meera Srivastava, Gurgaon
