Wanted: Ear to the ground

The government needs to listen to business

Investment, domestic or foreign, has been a key concern of Indian governments since economic liberalisation. Yet successive regimes appear to have a tin ear for the concerns of businesses. From telecom to e-commerce and automobiles, New Delhi’s actions consistently appear to work at odds with their stated objectives. The latest example was the statement by Shekar Viswanathan, vice-chairman of Toyota’s India unit, explaining how the levies on large cars had prompted the Japanese car maker to cancel an expansion programme in India. In an interview last month, Volkswagen India chief Gurpratap Boparai made roughly the same point. Mr Boparai pointed