It wasn't just a vocal opposition that was against the Cabinet's decision to allow 51% foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail business. The cabinet itself was split down the middle, which had an animated — even heated — debate on the pros and cons of opening up a sector that was so far considered politically too sensitive for farmers, small traders and consumers. Finally it took the prime minister to...
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Left wants govt to revoke FDI decision
-PTI Strongly protesting the decision to open up the retail sector to FDI, Left parties on Friday termed the move as “unprecedented” and said the government should have discussed it first in Parliament before taking the decision. “It is unprecedented. When Parliament is in session, a major decision was taken outside Parliament. It has never happened,” CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury told reporters outside Parliament House. “We will not discuss the FDI issue in...
More »FDI in retail will impact food chain, says BJP
-The Hindu The Bharatiya Janata Party is unambiguous in opposing the government move to throw open the retail sector to Foreign Direct Investment. The party believes that allowing foreign investment in multi-brand retail would adversely impact the retail sector, which is growing, and put the country's entire food chain system into the hands of foreign firms. At a news conference here, leaders of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha,...
More »Reviving Universal PDS: A Step Towards Food Security by Suranjita Ray
An unprecedented economic growth during the last decade has also seen increasing malnutrition, hunger and starvation amongst certain sections of society. India ranks 66 in the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO’s) World Hunger Index of 88 countries (Inter-national Food Policy Research Institute). More than 200 million people in this country are denied the right to food. One-third of all underweight children (57 million) in the world due to lack of...
More »Where does the money spent by Maharashtra on NREGS go? by Mahesh Vijapurkar
Poor spending on NREGS by Maharashtra - only Rs351 crore out of Rs668 crore - can be seen in two ways. One, apathy towards the poor and carelessness, and two, less money spent means less money stolen. All employment schemes are seen as doles, work is faked, ghosts are paid and the bucks swallowed by the establishment - politicians to petty bureaucrats - with the poor guy in the boondocks...
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