CAIT REACTED SHARPLY TO THE STATEMENT OF DELHI CM ON FDI IN RETAIL
UNION GOVERNMENT IS MAKING CONFUSIONS AND MISLEADING THE COUNTRY
The
Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has expressed deep shock over
the statement of Delhi Chief Minister made today at a Seminar organized
on FDI in Retail by a College that FDI will go a long way to improve
the economy and prices will be stabilized. The CAIT further regretted
that statement of the Chief Minister that no retailer has so far
approached the Delhi Government to express anticipated difficulties
because of FDI in Retail because the CAIT itself has given various
memorandums to Delhi Government on the repercussions of FDI in Retail.
It said that it is the Union Government which is making confusions and
misrepresentations of the facts and figures on various issues related to
FDI in Retail. CAIT Secretary General Mr. Praveen Khandelwal said that
he is challenging the Union Government to prove him wrong and he is
ready to have an open debate with anyone in the Government on this issue
which has been made a “Pandora box” by the Union Government. He
apprehended that even the Chief Ministers of different States have been
mis-informed by the Union
Government.
CAIT
Secretary General Shri Praveen Khandelwal reminded the Chief Minister
that about two weeks before when the traders gathered at her residence
to express thanks and gratitude to her for taking due cognizance of the
issue of the traders related to VAT, the issue of FDI in Retail was
raised out of context on which the Union Minister Shri Kapil Sibal
offered to hold talks with the traders on FDI in Retail.
Shri
Khandelwal said that the traders of Delhi have due regards for the
Chief Minister since she has resolved many of the issues of the traders
in no time but on issue of FDI in Retail, the CAIT is raising the voice
of the traders continuously and has even published books on the ill
effects of the FDI in Retail on farmers,traders,hawkers,small
industries, transporters and other sections of the retail trade.
Mr.
Khandelwal said that Delhi Governments’ announcement of implementing
FDI in Retail is pre-matured because of the fact that the amendments in
Rules and Regulations in Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) done by
the Reserve Bank of India, the copy of which has been submitted today by
Attorney General of India to the Supreme Court, has to go to both the
houses of the Parliament for discussion and approval under section 48
of the FEMA Act and the Parliament and the decision of the Parliament
will be final and binding. As of now the notification of Union
Government on FDI in Retail is merely a piece of paper and has no legal
validity.
Mr.
Khandelwal further said that it is the Union Government which is
creating confusion on the issue by stating incorrect figures and even
the Prime Minister has also been misled. The responsible people sitting
at the helm of affairs in Union Government are falsely stating that
about 40% food is waste in the Country and for development of cold
storage and modern transport system, FDI is needed. The figure of 40%
food wastage is absolutely false and misleading because of the fact that
the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICRA), a body under
Ministry of Agriculture, in its report on post harvest losses estimated a
maximum wastage of 12% in vegetables and 18% in fruits and the said
report was submitted to Union Government in September, 2010. Shri
Khandelwal questioned why the Union Government is misleading the
nation.. It is most amusing that development of cold storage and modern
transport system has not been included in the backend infrastructure as
defined in the notification though in PM’s address to the nation on 21st
September, it has been categorically mentioned.
He
said that the CAIT is always prepared to have a dialogue on the merits
and de-merits of FDI in Retail but on any public platform so that nation
must know what the reality is. “We have enough authenticated material
to prove that the Government is standing on a weak wicket”-said
Khandelwal
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For more information please contact CAIT, Secretary General, Mr. Praveen Khandelwal @ 9891015165, 93101099771.
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