The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Retail report weighs against small traders

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 14, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Retail report weighs against small traders

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: The findings of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) on the retail sector are concealing facts and the report has been prepared in favour of multinational retail giants, which would endanger the livelihood of 1.5 crore small traders in India, S. Babu, campaign organiser, India FDI Watch said on Thursday.

He was speaking at an open house discussion on the impact of the ICRIER report on small retailers and street vendors organised here. Since the research is sponsored by the government, there is a possibility that the government would plan to build its retail policy based on the report, he added.

Mr. Babu said the fact that researchers did not bother to talk to even a single vendor in the report was shocking.

The ICRIER report was also short-sighted and had only studied the immediate economic impact without taking into account the long term impact on farmers, manufacturers and consumers. A number of independent researches have found that the vendors were already being displaced by the corporate stores and police harassment of vendors by municipal agencies have increased , he said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka