Private sector crutch for public service

When the command-and-control economy was being dismantled through the early nineties, the popular notion propagated by votaries of reform was that India would enjoy the advantages of a division of responsibilities between government and private enterprise. The former would retreat from a mind-boggling array of corporate activity to focus on delivering better health care, education and infrastructure. Indian business, less constrained by licensing restrictions and weird monopoly laws, would create jobs and wealth. Since those heady days a quarter century ago, the roles have morphed in a bizarre way. The government visibly remains a major corporate promoter and the private