Apropos Ashok Parthasarathi’s article “Sick state enterprises: To sell or revive?” (July 17), there is only one answer to this question — they must be sold. The long-term focus that a large private owner brings to his enterprise cannot be matched by the government since the latter acts through bureaucrats and politicians with short-term interests. The purpose of an enterprise in today’s competitive world cannot be restricted to creating or preserving jobs. The goal of an enterprise must be to provide quality goods and services that its client wish to pay for, and to grow and earn profits in the process. The role of the government should be limited to making sure that the enterprise pays taxes and neither harms the environment nor exploits its employees.
Alok Sarkar, Kolkata
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