Bengal Trade Bandh a huge success: CWBTA
Kolkata, December 1st 2011: Small & Medium Traders and Municipal Markets all over West Bengal have observed Trade Bandh in protest against the entry of Foreign Direct Investment in Multibrand Retail Trade. This has been observed in solidarity with trade associations and apex bodies all over the country so that a strong message goes to the Central Government to roll back its idea of FDI in Multibrand Retail Trade.
We have observed today’s Trade Bandh successfully, also to strengthen the hands to our State Government which under the dynamic leadership of Smt. Mamata Banerjee has resolutely opposed FDI in Retail Trade and has given a categoric assurance that this advent will not be allowed in West Bengal under any circumstances.
For a candid understanding of the Traders’ point of view and reasons for strong opposition we cite the following points :-
(1) Un-skilled and semi-skilled labour find ready employment in small and medium trade enterprises running into crores of labour force all over the country FDI in retail trade will seriously displace such work force stoking the problem of un-employment and creating thereby the fire of a new social crisis.
(2) After Agriculture, Retail Sector is the largest employment generating sector in the Country contributing about 10% of the GDP with more than 5 crore small shop keepers and about 4 crore and small and medium enterprises and self employed persons . About 30 crore people are directly or indirectly dependant upon the retail sector for their livelihood. About 3% of retail trade is in the organized Sector , balance 97% has remained un-organised on account of no clear cut policy on retail trade by the Govt. of India and on account of lack of institutional support.
The Agricultural Retail Trade is expanding 12-15% every year with an addition of about 30 million middle class consumers.
(3) On account of lack of Level playing field, arrival of FDI in Domestic Retail Trade will exterminate small and medium traders. Every Where else in the World namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines etc. where Wal-mart, Tesco and Carefour have established shop they have created Monopolistic Trade practices.
(4) We demand a clear cut National Trade Policy in the line of National manufacturing and industrial policy so that retail trade gets an opportunity to be scientifically organized in order to address its growth, development and wealth creation objectives. Traders should be given requisite assistance of easy loans from Banks on primary sector lending rates so as to evolve feasible schemes to modernize existing retail trade.
(5) It is being argued that the farmers will get better prices for their produce with the entry of FDI. Once the agricultural mandis and regulated market yards are closed and farmers loss their contacts, foreign investors radically reduce the prices of procurement rendering farmers helpless.
(6) When the Govt. of India can give institutional support to SSI’s and MSME’s reserving certain categories of industrial activity for this sector only, barring big corporate houses entry into it, what prevents it from doing the same for small and medium traders? If modernization of trading operations is what the Govt. considers to be the acceptable recourse to the goal of generating sustained revenue in a transparent manner ----- and it cites this reason for allowing entry of FDI in retail trade alleging that Indian traders’ operations are not transparent and there are tax/revenue leakages, then why can’t the Govt devise schemes, courses and systems educating all age groups of traders to remodel their business formats giving the incentive of soft loans to firms that enroll to acquire such expertise? In this way they would be giving small traders a level playing field .
CWBTA’s action plans in the months ahead is to strongly pursue its demands with Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Finance Ministry, Planning & Development Ministry and the Prime Minister for disposal of our long pending demands. Trade bodies all over the India will exert this pressure. We shall use the good offices of our State Governement through its Members of Parliament to sustain pressure on the Govt of India to realize our plans and objectives.
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