-Outlook Amid furore over FDI in multi-brand retail, the politicians and farmers in the leading agrarian state of Punjab are speaking in different voices over the issue. While Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said the concept may be successful in developed countries like USA, he feared that it may not work in this country. "If the FDI comes, big players will eat into the share of small traders and that will be against...

-The Hindustan Times West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee will lead the campaign in the Congress strongholds during the ensuing panchayat elections in early 2013. She will lead the Trinamool Congress campaign in the green belt in North Bengal, which has always voted for the Congress. Mamata has  earmarked Congress MP Adhir Chowdhury’s bastion, Murshidabad, MP Deepa Dasmunshi’s base, North Dinajpur, and the late ABA Ghani Khan Chowdhury’s home turf, Malda, now...

-The Economic Times With the coming of 'organised' multi-brand retail - whether through FDI or indigenous - can the kirana store owner create an effective response so that he competes successfully to retain his share of the consumer's growing shopping basket? And second, will he want to make the change? To answer the first question, let's recap what we know are the kirana's strengths. Successful kirana stores have great neighbourhood locations and...

-The Times of India The opposition-sponsored Bharat bandh demanding a rollback of the government's decision to hike diesel prices, cap subsidised cooking gas cylinders and allow foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail has evoked mixed response across the nation. Besides the NDA and the Left, the Thursday shutdown has the support of parties like the Samajwadi Party, the TDP, the BJD and many others. In Tamil Nadu, the DMK, which is an ally...

-The Business Standard Are in talks with political parties for support, fear foreign players will invoke equal-treatment clause in bilateral pacts between India and other nations As the Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairsgave a green signal to the 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail, though leaving the implementation decision to the states, the traders’ community is all out to protest against the big policy decision. Calling the move unfortunate, Confederation of...