Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 2: Calling for protection of small and medium traders from the onslaught of deep pocket retail giants besides formation of a fair play policy to govern the trade, Chamber of Traders Federation (CTF) on a call given by Confederation of All India Traders(CAIT) held a protest demonstration in Jammu against the Walmart-Flipkart deal.
“There is a widespread resentment among Indian traders against the deal between American multi-brand Behemoth Walmart and Indian E-Commerce giant Flipkart. This is a case of multinationals taking advantage of relaxation given by the Government and entering the Indian market through backdoor. Government of India’s retail market that is already going through the ordeals of demonetization and GST,” Federation said.
The demand was projected by Neeraj Anand, president Chamber of Traders Federation (regd.), while addressing a gathering of Jammu’s prominent trade leaders and retailers protesting against the unholy deal. Click here to watch video
“ Today it’s through online platform, tomorrow it will be extended through open stores. In the process therefore everyone in the present retails chain whether wholesaler or distributor or small retailers shall suffer in due course of time,” Anand said.
Licensed to deal in wholesale trade, the front companies have already played havoc by directly reaching the consumer, complained Anand.
“With the advent of automation in heavy industries and to large extent in medium and small scale industries, the entrenchment and declining intake of industrial labour, the emerging situation shall simply multiply the already grave unemployment problem.
In such a scenario, it will always be the small retailer, shopkeeper who can come to the rescue of the Government by employing the idle labour force as salesmen, helpers, accountants, computer operators, semiskilled labour and even guards.”
Presence of multinational companies like Walmart enjoying humongous resources shall completely destroy the large scale adjustment of illiterate and semi-illiterate labour force at the micro level. This shall amount to “Retail Terrorism” of sorts, said Anand.
When the head of an affluent country like America is trumpeting about taking harsh steps to safeguard the interest of American business especially in consumer items like say bikes, there is absolutely no logic in welcoming their pampered companies to take foothold in the Indian market at the cost of livelihood of millions of poor, helpless retailers, Anand asserted.
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