Please check out audio from India FDI Watch Director Dharmendra Kumar’s interview on New Zealand public radio.

Please check out FDI Watch audio on German radio documentary on superstores invasion in India.

Senior leaders of different political parties and retail stakeholders joined hands together at Save Retail Democracy Rally organised on 7th of March at historical Ram Leela maidan of Delhi. All major wholesale and retail markets of Delhi remained closed on the day.

Tens of thousands of retailers, farmers, hawkers, transporters, labourers, consumers, cooperatives, small scale industries and civil society organizations participated in the rally. An anthem “Jago Apne Watan Ko Bachao-Retail FDI Ko Bhagao” (wake up to save country and chase away Retail FDI) composed by noted bollywood music director Salim Suleman and conceptualised by leading Ad Company R.K.Swami BBDO was the star attraction of the rally.

Senior Leaders of different political parties including BJP President Mr. Rajnath Singh, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Smt. Sushma Swaraj, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mr. Arun Jaitley, Chairman of Public Accounts Committ ee of Parliament Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, NDA Convener & Janta Dal (U) President Shri Sharad Yadav, Senior CPI Leader Comrade A. B. Bardhan, Leader of CPM in Loksabha Comrade Basudev Acharya, Comrade Amarjeet Kaur and Shri Pawan Kumar of central trade unions addressed the rally.

Buenos Aires, 03 de marzo 2013

ACORN-Argentina

Organizador: Yadira Micolta Victoria

Informe: Mes de febrero

En el mes de febrero, al igual que enero, el trabajo fui muy poco, debido a las vacaciones de verano. En marzo ya podremos comenzar con el trabajo realmente.

En febrero iniciamos con la realización del mural, luego nos encontramos con algunos de los miembros de la ONG, (que habían estado de vacaciones en sus respectivos países), pudimos organizar para llevar la siguiente carta a la municipalidad:

Isidro Casanova 27 de Febrero 2013

Solicitar Audiencia

Honorable Consejo

Deliberante

S. Magario

S/D…

Nos dirigimos a ustedes a través

De la presente, a los fines de solicitante una audiencia, motivo la presente la necesidad de tratar la urbanización del Barrio Madre Teresa de Calcuta.

Que ocupamos unas ochentas, familias hace más de lo Diez años, con el fin de obtener la posesión legal de los terrenos comparados y así poder contar con los servicios de luz agua gas, recolección de residuos etc.

Esperando su respuesta favorable a nuestra solicitud los más a bajos firmantes los aludamos atentamente.

Esta carta iría firmada por los miembros de la Organización y por vecinos del barrio, intentamos llevarla la semana pasada pero no fue posible, debido a que faltaron algunas firmas. Junto con la carta tienen que acompañarnos 10 miembros de la organización.

En cuanto a la campaña de remesas, estamos pensando en enviarle a una lista de periodista la información para que sea divulgada.

Seguimos con el envió de cartas, porque tenemos miedo que en algún momento puedan sacar a los miembros de la organización de sus casas, debido a que estos terrenos no les pertenecen, entonces la única estrategia es seguir llenando a la Municipalidad de la matanzas de peticiones, si en algún momento ellos llegan a tomar alguna acción contra nosotros, mostraremos las cartas como garantía de que estuvimos insistiendo constantemente en la adjudicación de los terrenos a los vecinos del Barrio Madre teresa de Calcuta.

Aquí pronto se acercan las elecciones, ya algunos candidatos han comenzado a lanzar sus propuesta, por ese lado quisiéramos saber cuáles son las propuestas qué tienen referente al desarrollo de la Matanza, vamos a estar investigando e informándoles para así poder reclamar nuestro derecho.

Please click to read about our hawkers conference held yesterday in Delhi. More than one thousand street vendors gathered in the conference of Hawkers Joint Action Committee. The committee is initiated and facilitated by us. The central Minister announced for an act to issue vending licences to 2.5% of urban population.

Please click to see article by Dharmendra Kumar concerning the Food Security Bill published today in Hindi Daily Prabhat Khabar.

According to the United Nations Development Programme’s Homeless Survey 2010 report there are 56,000 homeless in Delhi. At present, Delhi has around 150 night shelters; 84 temporary and 66 permanent. This is significantly less than one night shelter for every one lakh people across Delhi as mandated in Delhi Master Plan 2021. The capacity of these shelters varies from 40 to 200 people. According to the Delhi’s Urban Development Minister, the total capacity of permanent night shelters is 9,400 and the capacity of temporary shelters is 4,200. The Delhi government has earmarked Rs 6 crore for the 2012-13 financial year to construct, manage and maintain shelters in Delhi.

ACORN’s Delhi Partner Janpahal is managing three temporary shelters and one permanent shelter. As Delhi continues to shiver in the grip of a cold wave, we are grappling with the task of providing shelter to the homeless citizens of India. All our shelters are nearly always overcrowded. We are stretched to our limits. Delhi urban Shelter Improvement Board has provided the basic infrastructure of porta cabins with water, power, toilets, blankets, carpets etc. We regularly outreach to homeless citizens to bring them to shelters where we engage them with various kinds of programmes. We provide facilities like locker and first aid and link the homeless patients to nearby hospitals. We also conduct counselling sessions with chemically dependent homeless citizens for drugs de-addiction. Newspapers are available in shelters. Targeted training workshops and awareness building are regular features of the programmes. Since most of the homeless residents are undocumented, we have concerted drive to get them counted in the census and enroll them as voters.

The Union cabinet led by the Prime Minister today approved the one man commission inquiry on Walmart lobbying in India. The inquiry Commission would be set up under the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1951 and would submit its report within three months of its constitution. As per this act it would be obligatory for the Govt. to table the inquiry report and action taken report in the Parliament.

The terms of reference of the Committee are as follows:-

(i) To inquire into recent media reports on disclosures of Wal-Mart before the US Senate regarding their lobbying activities and details.

(ii) Whether Wal-mart undertook any activities in India in contravention of any Indian law.

(iii) Any other matter relevant or incidental to the above.

The Minister meets Walmart CEO

Here is the official statement by Govt of India:

“Mr Doug McMillon, CEO Walmart International met Union Commerce Industry and Textiles Minster Shri Anand Sharma at Davos today and conveyed that Walmart is ‘excited about India’ and they are studying the conditions before making the final announcement.

Shri Sharma said that India’s Policy on FDI in Multi Brand retail has finality and they need not be unduly concerned about any policy reversal. Shri Sharma also asked them to send request for clarification, if any, in the written form to his Ministry. All necessary clarity will be provided, assured Shri Sharma.”

Anger grows as foreign retailers enter India

http://www.dw.de/anger-grows-as-foreign-retailers-enter-india/a-16545485

The Union cabinet led by the Prime Minister today approved the one man commission inquiry on Walmart lobbying in India. The inquiry Commission would be set up under the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1951 and would submit its report within three months of its constitution. As per this act it would be obligatory for the Govt. to table the inquiry report and action taken report in the Parliament.

The terms of reference of the Committee are as follows:-

(i) To inquire into recent media reports on disclosures of Wal-Mart before the US Senate regarding their lobbying activities and details.

(ii) Whether Wal-mart undertook any activities in India in contravention of any Indian law.

(iii) Any other matter relevant or incidental to the above.

Swedish furniture manufacturer IKEA is the latest retail store set to expand into India. The government wants to attract much-needed infrastructure – while many shop owners fear for their livelihood.

Praveen Khandelwal’s hardware store in Delhi employs some 15 people. But soon, the shop owner fears, they might all lose their jobs – and with it, their livelihood.

“International companies will grab the entire retail trade,” Khandelwal told DW. He is afraid that there will be no room for small-scale retailers like him. “Foreign companies will rule India!”

For a long time, India had very restrictive rules on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). But in the last couple of years, restrictions have been loosened. In June, 2012, the government made some changes to its policies, allowing foreign retailers to operate with less restrictions in the country.

This, according to Gareth Price, a Senior Research Fellow at the British think-tank Chatham House, was aimed at building up much-needed infrastructure in particular in the agricultural sector. “India’s supply chain management is very poor. A lot of food is wasted before it even reaches the shops,” Gareth told DW. India, he added, lacked the resources to improve its infrastructure – the reason the ruling Congress Party decided to open the country to foreign investment.

Several foreign companies, including Wal-Mart, were quick to set up shop following the liberalization.

Highly divisive policies

In November, the government went even further, allowing for full ownership of local subsidiaries by foreign companies. Previously, foreign ownership had been limited to 51 percent.

Furniture manufacturer IKEA is the latest international retailer set to expand into India. On Tuesday, January 22, an Indian Commerce Ministry official said that the Investment Board had approved the Swedish company’s 1.9-billion-dollar investment proposal. IKEA announced it planned to open 25 stores in India over the next 15 to 20 years. The Cabinet, however, has yet to approve the bill and some Members of Parliament have already voiced their opposition. The opposition BJP party said that it would reverse the decision after the next elections, Price from Chatham House said.

The issue of foreign investment is highly divisive. Many Indians, Price said, fear that hundreds of thousands of jobs might be lost in the retail sector, one of the biggest employers in India.

“They will spread”

Dharmendra Kumar is one of them. “We’re not so concerned about IKEA,” the social activist with India FDI Watch, told DW. “They only make furniture, they won’t have much impact.” But he is concerned that while so far only a minority of India’s states have passed the FDI laws, others may soon follow suit. “And once they get here, they will spread.”

It was only a matter of time, he added, before foreign companies would start to have an impact on supply chains, dictate prices and force small- and medium-sized producers out of business.

With a little help from abroad

Amita Arora Puri from the All India Artisans and Craftworkers Association takes a less bleak view: IKEA with its “unmatched funds and global expertise” could help local artisans and traders to improve their designs, product quality and production abilities,” Puri told DW.

“The domestic private sector is looking for intellectual property of how foreign firms are doing things,” Price agrees. He added that, given India’s red tape and often excessive bureaucracy, foreign companies might find it hard to operate in India, letting the domestic sector take over. “That would seem a perfectly plausible outcome in the retail sector.”

Or, in one Twitter users’ laconic words: “50 percent of Ikea’s sales in India will be to furniture manufacturers who want to steal their designs.”

But Price doesn’t think that many foreign companies will commit themselves to India just yet, given the political opposition to the liberalization move. After all, he told DW, the opening was “reversible.”

Shop owner Praveen Khandelwal, for one, isn’t planning to wait and see. He wants to take his fear to the streets. “We’re working on a campaign against the foreign retailers,” he told DW, referring to a group of shop owners and retailers. “Just wait.”

http://www.dw.de/anger-grows-as-foreign-retailers-enter-india/a-16545485