As a consumer, how better or worse you feel with private players coming into business in competition with Govt

Question

Services like banks, airlines, telephone, electricity distribution etc. have seen Government or its Agencies in major competition with private players for a few years now. As a consumer, what has been your experience due to this competition: 1. Overall, 2. Specific with the same Government Departments or Agencies. 3. Private Players

Answer 1

With the privatisation picking-up in the last 8-10 years, the services sector, particularly where the government had the monopoly or dominance, has seen a sea change. The consumer has definitely been benefited in one way or the other. Whether it is the competitive price, quality or multiple choices or consequential noticeable improvement in the government controlled services, like the four services you mentioned in your question. a consumer is benefited in multiple way.

Overall, with more players into picture the services has offered multiple products in airlines, communication, banking etc. Competition has played its role in pricing, quality, consumer say, availability and quality of life in general.

Specific to the existing Government working, the performance has improved a little, with plenty of scope for much more improvement. Additionally, the RTI has strengthen consumers' rights more visibly, moved the machinery and systems to deliver somewhat.

With reference to private players participation, now the consumers could have the products designed more flexibly and closely matching with their requirements in time, price advantage, door-step seamless services options, elimination of red-tap-ism to some extent etc. Nevertheless, the private players have brought certain evils with them as well like high degree of commercialism at the cost of consumers basic interests, cartels, at times bullying individual consumer and increase in litigation due to deficiency of service and adopting unfair means etc.

We need to find some balance somewhere. Perhaps with more consumer protection enactments, consumer awareness, provision of platforms for speedier justice and  similar other desired measures, we can create a consumer dominated market with the kind of public private presence, some day.