Andy Mukherjee, Columnist

Modi Must End India’s ‘Inspector Raj’ Mindset

The weaponization of quality control is now a point of trade friction. It’s time to offer Trump a concession.

April 9, 2025 at 9:00 PM UTC

Andy Mukherjee is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering industrial companies and financial services in Asia. Previously, he worked for Reuters, the Straits Times and Bloomberg News.

Modi could focus on reviving factory output instead.
Photographer: Ruhani Kaur/Bloomberg

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It isn’t just the Americans. From factories making Louis Vuitton fashion to those churning out kitchen appliances, everyone is waiting for the Indian quality inspector. Indonesia is getting impatient; the Europeans are fuming. The Chinese think it will be easier to get tickets to a Taylor Swift concert than to have them show up in Shenzhen.

For Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make a quick deal with the US president, he should offer to dismantle the “Inspector Raj” that has been weaponized by his administration, ostensibly to create jobs but really to protect powerful local interests.