CFL and tube-lights

CFL for energy conservation - why not tube-lights as well, and why not their local production?
The government is contemplating large scale import of Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) for energy conservation. One should know that CFL and conventional tube-lights that we are used to are basically the same thing having the same efficiency. The CFL has a built in electronic ballast while it is fixed outside in the case of a tube-light. So why promote only CFL? Particularly when many tube-ights are already in use in the country and when local manufacturers of tube-lamps exist.
The only problem with a tube light is that it takes a larger current than it should have taken for its wattage if a conventional electromagnetic ballast is used without connecting a specified capacitor. The technical relevant term is 'low power factor' which is easily improved by connecting the specified capacitor across the ballast. However, if an electronic ballast is used with a tube-light it would have exactly the same efficiency as a CFL. So rather than promoting CFL only, we should also promote electronic ballasts with tube- lights and make connection of specified capacitors mandatory with electromagnetic ballasts.
My second point is to take this opportunity in promoting local Micro, Mini and Small Scale Industry (MMSI), and contributing to a large employment generation too, particularly for women. As mentioned before, CFL has an electronic circuitry built inside the housing, and electronic ballast in a tube light is also the same. Both these can be easily assembled by local technicians, even by ordinary workers, particularly women, given a little training. So rather than allowing import of readymade CFL and electronic ballasts if we promote the import of their raw materials and components, and make them available in the local market widely, and take necessary steps to motivate local MMSIs into producing such items, I think we will do a long term service to the nation. Due to our extreme voltage fluctuations, CFLs or electronic ballasts of tube-lights frequently go bust, and these are simply thrown away and replaced with new ones if imported. This wastes a lot of scarce national resources and foreign exchange in the long term. On the other hand, if such items are assembled locally, a large number of people will have the expertise to repair such devices at circuit level, at a very low cost. This will allow a device to last much longer and save national resources. Besides, if local production is promoted, our innovators will be able to design improved circuits which will stand the extreme voltage fluctuations in our country, and people will eventually get failure-free long term service from such devices. Our local innovators have already proved their capabilities in this regard in the items of electronic Voltage Protectors and Voltage Stabilisers. Some of their products can stand even 440 volts on the nominal 220 volt line (400 volt has occurred many times on our 220 lines, which is unthinkable in the West!), and no foreign product could give similar protection. This is the only reason that even after almost 10 years of faulty policies of charging very low import duty on such finished products and charging very high tax on the import of their raw materials and components, and high VAT at production stage, some of the local manufacturers of voltage protectors and voltage stabilisers have survived.
Therefore, rather than going for import of CFLs and electronic ballasts of tube-lights, we should go for their nationwide local production, again not through large or medium industries, but through MMSIs. However, from my long experience in the country, I can guess that the main obstacles to such MMSIs would come through harassment by tax collectors and from inverse import duties as mentioned above in the case of voltage stabilisers. A powerful importers' lobby may be at work behind these too. So let us use this opportunity in rectifying these problems and promote large-scale local production of CFLs and electronic ballasts of tube-lights through our indigenous MMSIs.