Hubs at War
The two stories, Made in India and Dragon on the Rampage, (March 2) made a nice package - a comparison of China, the world's manufacturing hub - with India, the emerging hub. It compared the two countries, their advantages and disadvantages and how the scenario is changing. India has a couple of advantages, the rising wage costs in China and the weak rupee. It is clear that costs advantage is declining in China. But India is not able to take advantage of the situation.
Akhilesh K. Sah, Faizabad
Hurdles that Hurt
Your cover story was a good read. India definitely has many advantages over China. But there are a few hurdles. Indian markets are flooded with cheap Chinese products. The production costs for small manufacturers are much more than their earnings. Besides, there are other impediments such as high taxes, duty on imports, inflation and lack of scale in manufacturing. A policy paralysis in India can be blamed for the current situation. The new government should take some concrete steps to boost manufacturing in India and improve the economy.
J.K. Dass, New Delhi
Silken Success
The article (Weaving a New Tale, March 2) has explained the present status of the silk industry nicely. India is the second-largest producer of silk in the world. I was happy to read that the industry is trying to revive itself. But we need stronger policies to address roadblocks such technology backwardness and the declining number of handloom weavers.
Manish Dudeja, Noida
Golden Opportunity
The feature, Going Great Guns (March 2), highlights the growing opportunities for the Indian private sector in defence manufacturing. Domestic manufacturing of defence equipment has boomed in the last three years. Now the challenge is to ensure that India becomes self-sufficient in defencerelated manufacturing. Why should we spend thousands of crore of rupees to procure defence equipment from overseas? We can save a whopping `40,000 crore and can also eliminate corruption and scams in such deals. I think the next government should take serious steps in this regard.
Jacob Sahayam, Thiruvananthapuram
Inspiring Work
I was never a fan of self-improvement books. But after reading the reviews o The Habit of Winning, (Treasure Trove of Anecdotes, March 2) and then reading the book itself, I think it is an apt one for new-age students who might need it to boost their self esteem.
Love Chawla, Kolkata
