India Uncut
This blog has moved to its own domain. Please visit IndiaUncut.com for the all-new India
Uncut and bookmark it. The new site has much more content and some new sections, and you can read about them here and here. You can subscribe to full RSS feeds of all the sections from here.
This blogspot site will no longer be updated, except in case of emergencies, if the main site suffers a prolonged outage. Thanks - Amit.
Friday, April 21, 2006
A monopoly reappears
The Telegraph reports:
Indeed, I believe that if the act was entirely scrapped, the objective that the government cites -- cheap postal services in remote areas -- would be far more quickly achieved. Enabling private enterprise will achieve far more than stifling it, and I know -- duh! -- that's stating the obvious. But too many people still don't get it.
Cross-posted on The Indian Economy Blog.
The next time you need to send an urgent letter, you may have to depend on snail mail.Well, I googled for and found the text of the Indian Post Office Act, 1898, and I think it is a monstrosity: It establishes a monopoly, deprives us all of choice as to how we want to send our mail, and prevents would-be entrepreneurs from setting up shop in this area.
The government today proposed amendments to the Indian Post Office Act, 1898, banning private courier companies from carrying letters weighing less than 300 gm.
The private courier industry is livid, but the government’s defence is that it needs this monopoly to be able to fund cheap postal services in remote areas.
Indeed, I believe that if the act was entirely scrapped, the objective that the government cites -- cheap postal services in remote areas -- would be far more quickly achieved. Enabling private enterprise will achieve far more than stifling it, and I know -- duh! -- that's stating the obvious. But too many people still don't get it.
Cross-posted on The Indian Economy Blog.
