No room for piecemeal policy changes

Policymakers must understand that the bit by bit tweaks in FDI norms, spread over long years, won't help in the long run

What’s common between a Netherlands-headquartered multinational group and the changing face of India’s single-brand retail policy? A lot, it seems. With the government making yet another tweak to the policy, it’s a surprise that for more than a decade now, we are still trying to fix the guidelines for single-brand retail, a category that’s unique to the Indian market and one that’s hardly controversial. 

Through the piecemeal tweaks and turns over the years, furnishing major Ikea has been a reference point, but the focus has now shifted to Cupertino-based Apple to see if it finally decides to set up its signature