Let’s Stop Walmart Corruption

As you know, Walmart is now in India. But Walmart is bad for small scale producers and retailers, which are the backbone of the great Indian economy. Like the Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar said,  “In India too, [Walmart] will kill the small scale producers.”

Walmart is also one of the most corrupt corporations in the world. Last year a New York Times story revealed how Walmart bribed and corrupted officials at all levels of government in order to enter Mexico. According to the article, “The Times’s examination reveals that Wal-Mart de Mexico was not the reluctant victim of a corrupt culture that insisted on bribes as the cost of doing business. Nor did it pay bribes merely to speed up routine approvals. Rather, Wal-Mart de Mexico was an aggressive and creative corrupter, offering large payoffs to get what the law otherwise prohibited. It used bribes to subvert democratic governance — public votes, open debates, transparent procedures. It used bribes to circumvent regulatory safeguards that protect Mexican citizens from unsafe construction. It used bribes to outflank rivals.”

A big corporation “using bribes to subvert democratic governance” is the last thing India needs now, while citizens, civic leaders and even some politicians are working to make the government less corrupt. Between a corrupt Walmart and a corrupt government there is certainly illegal conduct happening or going to happen that will help the corporation and hurt India.

The good news is we can stop it. Did you know that you can make money from exposing Walmart corruption in India? The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) prohibits bribery of foreign officials by major American and foreign companies. Whistleblowers who report violations can recover a large reward for exposing FCPA violations. For example, if you expose a bribe for a new investment worth one crore, you could win ten to thirty lakh. All you need to do is to click www.walmart-corruption.com.

Share this page with your family and friends, and let them know that they can help stop corruption in India. And you just might win some money too! Let’s keep corruption out!

 

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Women & Minority Front of Hawkers Launched

The Hawkers Joint Action Committee meeting held on 21st April, 2013 at the Sindhu Samaj Hall, Karolbagh unanimously decided to form fronts of Women and Minorities.

Md. Sayed, Hawkers representative of Badarpur Market and resident of Daryaganj was elected as convenor of the Minority Front.

Ms. Sushma, a member of the Zonal Vending Committee of North Delhi Municipal Corporation, Hawkers representative of Karolbagh and resident of Nawada, Dwarka was unanimously elected as Convenor of the Women Front of the Hawkers Joint Action Committee.

More than 100 hawkers representatives who participated in the meeting discussed issues including of newly elected Hon’ble Mayors and Standing Committee Chairpersons in all the three municipal corporations of Delhi. A detail discussion took place on the Food Safety and Standard Act and required interventions by Food vendors.

Hawkers Joint action Committee also decided to actively participate in the forthcoming national convention on FDI in Retail.

Hawkers Meeting at Sindhu Samaj Hall on 21st April 13
Hawkers Meeting at Sindhu Samaj Hall on 21st April 13
Md. Sayed elected as Convenor of the Minority Front of HJAC
Md. Sayed elected as Convenor of the Minority Front of HJAC
Ms. Sushma the newly elected Convenor of the Women Front of HJAC
Ms. Sushma the newly elected Convenor of the Women Front of HJAC


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Anti FDI Rally

March 7th, 2013
Senior leaders of different political parties and retail stakeholders joined hands together at Save Retail Democracy Rally organised on 7thMarch 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.
DSC04379 DSC04381 DSC04386
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Hawkers Conference in Delhi

February 24th, 2013

Hawkers Conference 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.
Sri Ajay Maken at Hawkers Joint Action Committee meeting
Sri Ajay Maken at Hawkers Joint Action Committee meeting
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Anger Grows as Foreign Retailers Enter India

January 24th, 2013

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

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.”

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Commission Inquiry on Walmart

Jan 24th, 2013
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.

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Retail FDI: How will you protect small traders, Supreme Court asks Goverment

The Supreme Court today said that interest of small retail traders should not be affected due to foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail sector and sought response from the Centre on how it intends to safeguard their interests.
A bench headed by Justice R M Lodha asked the Centre to file its response within three weeks.
“What checks are there to ensure that free trade is not affected, particularly the interest of small traders,” the bench said while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL). “Apprehension is there in the mind of people that small traders’ interest would be affected,” the bench said, adding, “Some regulatory measures should be there.”
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