Quotes from Sucheta Dalal

Consumers have to become an appropriately strong and vocal lobby capable of embarrassing the political establishment.

Logically, it may be argued that banks could indeed lower interest rates and make up their profits through larger borrowing volumes. But banks, in turn, could justify exorbitant rates by arguing that they cater to a riskier segment.

Indian companies have begun to pay lip service to the concept of intellectual capital but a miniscule of them, that too non-family run businesses, understand what that means.

We do not have to sit back and suffer the consequences of corrupt government deals and inefficiency, but unless a large number of people are convinced of this, nothing will change.

India has no shortage of deserving causes or good leaders; there is only short supply of activists and people who are willing to support their causes.

Economic liberalisation has seen a big and often well-deserved spurt in executive compensation, especially for professional managers.

We are neither prepared to deal with dubious companies nor have the mechanism for swift investigation. What's more we don't even have a culture, which imposes stringent, debilitating and deterrent punishment on wrong doers.

Even in downtown office areas, people would probably beg for a shuttle bus service to ferry them swiftly to the railway stations and bus stations, instead of forcing them to travel squashed up in shared-taxis.

Entrepreneurial freedom and funding of potentially good businesses will certainly increase the number of wealthy Indians, create employment and have some cascading effect in the economy.

A variety of list builders, universities and non-governmental orgainsations are focussing attention on the accuracy and reliability of information on Web sites.

The e-wallet allowed anyone with a valid e-mail ID to send and receive money from just about anybody, or to settle bills through money stored online in safe systems. All it needed was registration on the e-purse providers website by filling out a simple form.

Globally, the toll-free numbers advertised by companies promise more than they deliver. And even websites are at pains to ensure that customers cannot get through to individuals, so there are no names, phone numbers or direct e-mail IDs to people in charge.

Senior politicians and police officers as well as their children get away with murder and run extortion rackets. It is all accepted with some anger and a shrug.

It is an open secret that customs officers pay millions in bribes to secure the lucrative posting in the airport, cargo terminals or ports.

To investors, the media is largely undependable as a source of policy information they have been wrong far too often. And business leaders and industrialists are obliged to make welcoming statements, whatever their real sentiment.

It is true that Indian Airlines often behaves exactly like the government does. It is stingy with information, designates junior officials to deal with the serious task of communicating with the relatives and the people, and is often simply insensitive.

For Indias 40 million taxpayers, the bulk of whom are salaried employees, forking out hefty service tax is a double whammy the government taxes them on income earned as well as all their expenditure.

People have so little faith in their elected representatives that they expect the media to push government into action. Yet, for all the hysteria that we hacks may whip up, it has little long-term impact.

Journalism itself is by no means pristine clean; it has as many corrupt elements as other sections of society.

The fact that technology makes it so easy to misuse personal information and encroach on a persons privacy has triggered a debate over whether Indias privacy laws are adequate to protect people.

In an ideal world, judges are not supposed to read or be influenced by media reports. But it is difficult to ignore television news which does not distinguish between reportage and comment.

From toothpastes to crayons, instant noodles, chocolates and energy drinks, corporate India is now promoting these in schoolrooms.

Advertisers with their bag of goodies and promotions have entered classrooms and begun to put up billboards and posters inside schools. They persuade cash-starved schools into opening their doors to them by paying for access to classrooms and space for their advertising material and promotions.

Look around you and you see plenty of prosperous businessmen splurging money like there was no tomorrow but paying no taxes.