Thanks, Hari. As another reader said, success is not guaranteed for Reliance in some of these newer sectors. But the thing is, what if there are few competitors to take its place?

Seetharaman G

I agree, Srikanth, that capital alone is insufficient. But in sectors like retail, if you don't have a model like DMart's, capital is your alternative, and that's exactly how Reliance Retail became the largest, without having a notable strategy. And you're right that we cannot go back to License Raj, but all the same, we cannot artificially raise entry barriers, which precludes much-needed competition and innovation.

Seetharaman G

No, Mahesh, we are certainly not arguing against Indian companies gaining scale. But there is a downside to a single company being the dominant player in multiple sectors. This is the reason why both the US and EU are worried about Big Tech. And it's not a question of Indian vs foreign. It's simply about there being a level playing field for enough competition, whose absence has been made possible by our government and regulators in sectors like retail, telecom and payments.

Seetharaman G

Thanks, Vijay.Yes, I think India will find it impossible to match China's scale. While India will be able to make enough cells and modules to meet its requirements, it cannot make them at a cost competitive with China's because of the latter's scale. That's why they need all the help they can get from the government. As for your second question, it's not excessive and it only includes cell and module manufacturing, not silicon or wafer.

Seetharaman G

The tender requires them to make cells from wafers and assemble the cells into modules. So they can import the wafers.

Seetharaman G

Hi, this is its entire portfolio--operational and under construction and development.

Seetharaman G

Thanks, Rajiv. According to a government estimate from late 2017, a 1 GW wafer plant would cost around Rs 800 crore. And there's no guaranteed market for the plants, but the capital cost is covered by the higher tariff.

Seetharaman G

Hi, Chetan, we have gone with these companies' headquarters, and Canadian Solar is headquartered in Guelph, Ontario: https://www.canadiansolar.com/aboutus/

Seetharaman G

Yes, their unwavering focus on frugality is near impossible to emulate because it's a combination of own properties, lower salaries, fewer SKUs, etc.

Seetharaman G

Thanks, Rajiv. Yes, Maxar will be helpful if we need data for the past few years. And one of Cartosat-1's core purposes was to measure elevations, while that's not the case with Cartosats-2 and -3. While they can also measure elevations, I'm told they are not as good as Cartosat-1. I don't think there is a link I can direct you to. Sorry. All the stuff about satellite imagery in the story is based on conversations with experts.

Seetharaman G

Thanks, Anshul. I agree with you that surveys are among the trickiest parts of this whole exercise. Without ground truthing, just digitisation holds little value.

Seetharaman G

I agree with you, Manjit. There is little incentive for bureaucrats to do something like this. And as I have mentioned in the story, the incentive for private players to do it in rural areas is not great, either. At least not yet.

Seetharaman G