Corp. Quit Retail !!                                                                             Wal-Mart Quit India!

Total Shut Down and Mammoth Rally of 150,000 Traders in Kerala on Halla Bol

Feb 23, 2008: Traders in Kerala today downed shutters as part of the nation-wide Halla Bol protest against the entry of retail giants into the retail trade. Reports from various parts of the state said the shut down was total. The Kerala Vyapari Vyvasayi Ekopana Samithi (KVVES) and the Kerala State Vyapari Vyvasayi Samithi (KSVVS) had together called for the strike demanding that the Government enact a law to prevent the entry of retail giants. The shut down had support of both the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) in the state.

More than 150,000 traders marched in Thrissur held a mammoth rally. The speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly inaugurated the rally. Many members of parliament and members of Legislative Assemblies were present in the historical rally. Sri Shyam Bihari Mishra, President, Bhartiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal was chief speaker. After the meeting, all the 150,000 people gathered in the meeting lighted candles and pledged to resist the corporate hijack of retail.

Protest marches were also taken out by the KSVVS in different parts of the state. In Thiruvananthapuram, the KSVVS marched to the secretariat. The traders demanded a legislation during the present Assembly session itself. "Now we have thought of approaching the Union Government since the state administration has not heeded our request. Why should corporate entities enter into our retail-trading sector that we have been efficiently managing? Until our demands not to let such big players snatch our livelihood are met, we will carry on our crusade against the entry of Reliance and others," said Panangottukonam Vijayan, Secretary, Kerala State Vyapari Vyvasai Samithi. The protesters walked to the government secretariat holding banners and shouting slogans against the entry of big retail giants.

The policy of the state government is to see that these retail giants are kept out of the state, Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPI-M) state secretary Pinnarayi Vijayan said at a mammoth gathering of traders in front of Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the Kerala Governor. “The Left is of the firm view that not a single such unit - national or international - be allowed entry into Kerala,” he said. “We at the Left Democratic Front meeting have decided that the local self-governments should not give sanction to such units.”

Only a few days back, Deputy Mayor of Kochi C.K. Mani Shankar had announced opening of retail outlet of the Reliance fresh. But today, Shankar was in the forefront of a protest march in Kochi. 

Reliance, Subhiksha, More were locked and ten headed effigy of corp. burnt in Delhi

Delhi-23 Feb: On the heels of the visit of Michael Duke, Vice Chairman of Walmart, hundreds of small shopkeepers and hawkers staged militant protest at the doorsteps of Reliance Fresh, Subhiksha and More in Shakarpur area of Delhi. The protesters forced corporations to down their shutters and locked them. A ten headed tall effigy was also burnt. Each head of the effigy was symbolizing corporations namely Wal-Mart, Tesco, Reliance Fresh, Big Bazaar, Subhiksha, More, Spencers, Big Apple, Metro and Carrefour.

Addressing the protesters, Vijay Prakash Jain, General Secretary, Bhartiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal said "The livelihood of retail traders are at stake. If big corporations like Wal-Mart and Reliance are allowed to enter into the retail trade, small traders and street vendors would be finished. We warn the govt. not to play with the livelihood of traders, manufacturers, hawkers and suppliers. We demand to enact strict law to ban all corporations in retail trade and formulate a National Policy for Retail Trade and Small Manufacturing Industries.” Mr. Jain announced that to strike back and make corporations realise that we will not let them ruin our livelihoods a national mass rally of hundreds of thousands of people will be organized in the Ram Lila ground of Delhi on 23^rd April this year. 

Ashwani Jain, Convenor of the Halla Bol protest stated “There are 40 million people depending on the retail sector. There are no employment avenues available for our youths and crores of families survive on the retail trade. Those who are saying that new jobs will be created by big corporations in retail need to realize that thousands more will be lost. Mr. Jain further said, “To justify themselves corporations are creating myths. They are creating the myth that they will sell cheap and fresh. But, consumers will have to pay for the high input of corporate retail such as real estate, air conditioning, educated salesmen and women, wasteful consumption of electricity and many more. In the long run, consumers will be the ultimate looser, as once corporate retail drive out their competitors and their monopoly is established they will buy low and sell at high price. 

Dharmendra Kumar, Director of India FDI Watch and Convenor of National Movement for Retail Democracy said, “We have gathered here to tell the govt. that traders are ready to come on the streets if monopoly of a few corporations is favoured in the retail sector. The infamous retail giant of the world Wal-Mart has entered from the back door using Bharti-Airtel as its fig leaf circumventing the wholesale cash & Carry permission. This is a gross transgression of the intention behind Wholesale Cash and Carry Permission. Bharti will only be a thin cover for Wal-Mart’s profit making proclivities. Bharti will only function as a fixed margin operator. The warning bells are dire for our small manufacturers, suppliers, shopkeepers and street vendors.” 

Hakim Singh Rawat, President, Delhi Hawkers welfare Association said, “Corporate retail intent to hijack the whole supply chain from ‘Farm to Folk’ and establish monopoly by becoming producer, wholesaler, distributor and retailer and targets to dictate the market to fulfill their greed. The hawker sells much fresher than any of these shops. Long distance supply chain and refrigeration means stale fruits and vegetables. 

Mr. Prem Arora, President, Kirana Committee Delhi, Mr. Ajay Arora, President, Federation of Traders Associations of Delhi, Shafik Ahmad, General Secretary, Delhi Hawkers Union, Mr. Jindal Singh, President, East Delhi Hawkers Union also addressed the protesters. 

Motor Cycle/car rally of Traders, Mathadi Workers, and Hawkers Closed Down Corporate Stores in Navi Mumbai

In a spectacular road show one of the first in the history of navi Mumbai one hundred motor bikes and 25 cars took to the streets and demonsrated outside various outlets of corporates. Starting from the CBD Belapur outlet of RELIANCE Fresh and followed by the CENTRE-ONE Mall, MORE, FOODLAND and a mini Rasta Roko otside the D-Mart outlet, nearly all the outlets had closed their shutters in order to avoid any damage to their stores.

The traders, workers and hawkers were demanding the protection of APMC markets, against entry of multinational and national corporations into the retail trade. The Halla Bol programme was attended by hundreds of retail and wholesale traders, Chemists, mathadi workers and hawkers. The rally was flagged off from the Mathadi Bhavan, APMC Market, navi Mumbai by senior leader of the Traders Shri Chandrakant Sanghavi and Shri Popatrao Dhonde President of the Mathadi workers union.

The Traders and mathadi workers took out a disciplined and  peaceful Motor Cycle/car rally from Mathadi Bhavan , APMC market, Navi Mumbai to Khoparkairne, the rally started  at 11.30 am and travel along the route covering CBD- Belapur-Seawood-Centreone-  Arenjia Circl-Shivaji Maharaj Chowk- Khoparkairne and ended at 2pm at the Dana Bunder APMC Market .

The Garherings were addressed by leaders of the Traders Shri Mohan Gurnani, Shri Sharad Maru, Shri Ashok Baria, Shri Nilesh Vera and Shri Pramod Joshi. Shri Narendra Patil from the Mathadi Workers Union and Shri Prafula Mhatre and Shri Rambabu Gupta spoke on behalf of the hawkersand Shri Gawand from the cooperative sector. 

Freedom Fighter led the Halla Bol Protest in Bangalore

Bangalore 23^rd Feb 08: Street hawkers, retailers and other people joined at Yashawanthpur railway station to protest against corporate retails as a part of national programme of Halla bol. Shouted slogans against the fresh malls. Freedom fighter Mr. Doraiswamy, addressed the gathering and during his speech, said that, already many corporate retail companies have arrived to Bangalore and have started the business but the government is not taking any action to support the local street hawkers, retailers. He requested the mass to continue the struggle to curb the corporate retails and also raised question against police system (because police has threatened the organizers to post pone or cancel the programme and not ready to give the permission for the rally because of Lorry strike. But organizers took firm decision to continue the programme and have done it. Prior to the rally on 22^nd of Feb 2008, 3 volunteers along with auto taken to the police station while canvassing the programme. They were arrested and criminal cases under KPA 92(I) were framed against them.) Mr. Doraiswamy further said, “police should give the support and security for the common people. Most of the police force of country belongs to agriculturist’s family. These companies through contract farming also cheat our farmers. I am here, let the police arrest me first, I am heading this demonstration, let the police arrest. He told that, these are always happens why should go to police and ask their permission. There is no need to ask the permission, we are the people who are protecting democracy and also electing the people to serve the people. 

Ex corporator and opposition leader of Bangalore city corporation Mr.D.M. Nanjundappa,  one of the guests addressed the gathering and told he will be with the hawkers and retailers of the area whenever needed and suggested the  gathering not to bother about police, crores of  small traders, retailers and hawkers are  depending on this trade for survival. It is our right to protest and give warning to the companies that are demolishing the livelihoods.

During his speech Mr. A.K.Himakar told, if we believe in democracy it is our right to save our livelihood, we are not living in dictators country, irony is that, our people like hawkers, street vendors, retailers are struggling to lead the life where as these corporates are enjoying all the benefits of the government. Whole system of this country is supporting the corporates, what is the alternative left for the people? Government should seriously think on this issue otherwise in near future our hawkers; retailers and traders including farmers are going to hit the corporate stores like Uttar Pradesh. 

Secretary of ASTRA K, Mr. K.C. Venkatesh also addressed the meeting and said, “Our food security, livelihood, our agriculture is facing serious problems because of the entry of large multinationals in retail and in agriculture if the process continue like this, we don’t know what will happened to our people. We are raising our voices to protect ourselves, our livelihoods are under threat. We are not asking any mercy or any favor from the government. It is our right to protest and we are demanding for national policy on retail.”  

President of ASTRA K, Mr. Abdul Hammed addressed the gathering and told, if not today, tomorrow we are going to hit the corporate retails particularly reliance. We made a plan to go in a protest march but the police who should protect us are protecting the companies. Enough is enough in nearby days don’t expect us to follow the rules and regulation and law we are going to break the law let police arrest us. At least we will get food in jail. Retailers, hawkers and traders are under serious crises, does not know what to do, but as a trader I am ready for violence also if our voice is not heard.

President of Dalit Mahasabha Karnataka Siddaramaiah, Mr. S. Babu of India FDI Watch, Mr. Shiva Prasad of SUCI, trader leader Mr. Ramu from Nelamangala and local trader leaders also addressed the gathering. 

Hawkers staged two rallies in Kolkata

Under the banner of National Hawkers Federation, hawkers of Kolkata staged two rallies in the Kolkata city. Mr. Shaktiman Ghosh, General Secretary, NHF led the rallies.

Similar protests were also held in different cities across India including Allahabad, Kanpur, Hyderabad, Chennai, Nagpur, Bhuvneshwar.

Corp. Quit Retail !!                                                                             Wal-Mart Quit India!

Total Shut Down and Mammoth Rally of 150,000 Traders in Kerala on Halla Bol

Feb 23, 2008: Traders in Kerala today downed shutters as part of the nation-wide Halla Bol protest against the entry of retail giants into the retail trade. Reports from various parts of the state said the shut down was total. The Kerala Vyapari Vyvasayi Ekopana Samithi (KVVES) and the Kerala State Vyapari Vyvasayi Samithi (KSVVS) had together called for the strike demanding that the Government enact a law to prevent the entry of retail giants. The shut down had support of both the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) in the state.

More than 150,000 traders marched in Thrissur held a mammoth rally. The speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly inaugurated the rally. Many members of parliament and members of Legislative Assemblies were present in the historical rally. Sri Shyam Bihari Mishra, President, Bhartiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal was chief speaker. After the meeting, all the 150,000 people gathered in the meeting lighted candles and pledged to resist the corporate hijack of retail.

Protest marches were also taken out by the KSVVS in different parts of the state. In Thiruvananthapuram, the KSVVS marched to the secretariat. The traders demanded a legislation during the present Assembly session itself. "Now we have thought of approaching the Union Government since the state administration has not heeded our request. Why should corporate entities enter into our retail-trading sector that we have been efficiently managing? Until our demands not to let such big players snatch our livelihood are met, we will carry on our crusade against the entry of Reliance and others," said Panangottukonam Vijayan, Secretary, Kerala State Vyapari Vyvasai Samithi. The protesters walked to the government secretariat holding banners and shouting slogans against the entry of big retail giants.

The policy of the state government is to see that these retail giants are kept out of the state, Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPI-M) state secretary Pinnarayi Vijayan said at a mammoth gathering of traders in front of Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the Kerala Governor. “The Left is of the firm view that not a single such unit - national or international - be allowed entry into Kerala,” he said. “We at the Left Democratic Front meeting have decided that the local self-governments should not give sanction to such units.”

Only a few days back, Deputy Mayor of Kochi C.K. Mani Shankar had announced opening of retail outlet of the Reliance fresh. But today, Shankar was in the forefront of a protest march in Kochi. 

Reliance, Subhiksha, More were locked and ten headed effigy of corp. burnt in Delhi

Delhi-23 Feb: On the heels of the visit of Michael Duke, Vice Chairman of Walmart, hundreds of small shopkeepers and hawkers staged militant protest at the doorsteps of Reliance Fresh, Subhiksha and More in Shakarpur area of Delhi. The protesters forced corporations to down their shutters and locked them. A ten headed tall effigy was also burnt. Each head of the effigy was symbolizing corporations namely Wal-Mart, Tesco, Reliance Fresh, Big Bazaar, Subhiksha, More, Spencers, Big Apple, Metro and Carrefour.

Addressing the protesters, Vijay Prakash Jain, General Secretary, Bhartiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal said "The livelihood of retail traders are at stake. If big corporations like Wal-Mart and Reliance are allowed to enter into the retail trade, small traders and street vendors would be finished. We warn the govt. not to play with the livelihood of traders, manufacturers, hawkers and suppliers. We demand to enact strict law to ban all corporations in retail trade and formulate a National Policy for Retail Trade and Small Manufacturing Industries.” Mr. Jain announced that to strike back and make corporations realise that we will not let them ruin our livelihoods a national mass rally of hundreds of thousands of people will be organized in the Ram Lila ground of Delhi on 23^rd April this year. 

Ashwani Jain, Convenor of the Halla Bol protest stated “There are 40 million people depending on the retail sector. There are no employment avenues available for our youths and crores of families survive on the retail trade. Those who are saying that new jobs will be created by big corporations in retail need to realize that thousands more will be lost. Mr. Jain further said, “To justify themselves corporations are creating myths. They are creating the myth that they will sell cheap and fresh. But, consumers will have to pay for the high input of corporate retail such as real estate, air conditioning, educated salesmen and women, wasteful consumption of electricity and many more. In the long run, consumers will be the ultimate looser, as once corporate retail drive out their competitors and their monopoly is established they will buy low and sell at high price. 

Dharmendra Kumar, Director of India FDI Watch and Convenor of National Movement for Retail Democracy said, “We have gathered here to tell the govt. that traders are ready to come on the streets if monopoly of a few corporations is favoured in the retail sector. The infamous retail giant of the world Wal-Mart has entered from the back door using Bharti-Airtel as its fig leaf circumventing the wholesale cash & Carry permission. This is a gross transgression of the intention behind Wholesale Cash and Carry Permission. Bharti will only be a thin cover for Wal-Mart’s profit making proclivities. Bharti will only function as a fixed margin operator. The warning bells are dire for our small manufacturers, suppliers, shopkeepers and street vendors.” 

Hakim Singh Rawat, President, Delhi Hawkers welfare Association said, “Corporate retail intent to hijack the whole supply chain from ‘Farm to Folk’ and establish monopoly by becoming producer, wholesaler, distributor and retailer and targets to dictate the market to fulfill their greed. The hawker sells much fresher than any of these shops. Long distance supply chain and refrigeration means stale fruits and vegetables. 

Mr. Prem Arora, President, Kirana Committee Delhi, Mr. Ajay Arora, President, Federation of Traders Associations of Delhi, Shafik Ahmad, General Secretary, Delhi Hawkers Union, Mr. Jindal Singh, President, East Delhi Hawkers Union also addressed the protesters. 

Motor Cycle/car rally of Traders, Mathadi Workers, and Hawkers Closed Down Corporate Stores in Navi Mumbai

In a spectacular road show one of the first in the history of navi Mumbai one hundred motor bikes and 25 cars took to the streets and demonsrated outside various outlets of corporates. Starting from the CBD Belapur outlet of RELIANCE Fresh and followed by the CENTRE-ONE Mall, MORE, FOODLAND and a mini Rasta Roko otside the D-Mart outlet, nearly all the outlets had closed their shutters in order to avoid any damage to their stores.

The traders, workers and hawkers were demanding the protection of APMC markets, against entry of multinational and national corporations into the retail trade. The Halla Bol programme was attended by hundreds of retail and wholesale traders, Chemists, mathadi workers and hawkers. The rally was flagged off from the Mathadi Bhavan, APMC Market, navi Mumbai by senior leader of the Traders Shri Chandrakant Sanghavi and Shri Popatrao Dhonde President of the Mathadi workers union.

The Traders and mathadi workers took out a disciplined and  peaceful Motor Cycle/car rally from Mathadi Bhavan , APMC market, Navi Mumbai to Khoparkairne, the rally started  at 11.30 am and travel along the route covering CBD- Belapur-Seawood-Centreone-  Arenjia Circl-Shivaji Maharaj Chowk- Khoparkairne and ended at 2pm at the Dana Bunder APMC Market .

The Garherings were addressed by leaders of the Traders Shri Mohan Gurnani, Shri Sharad Maru, Shri Ashok Baria, Shri Nilesh Vera and Shri Pramod Joshi. Shri Narendra Patil from the Mathadi Workers Union and Shri Prafula Mhatre and Shri Rambabu Gupta spoke on behalf of the hawkersand Shri Gawand from the cooperative sector. 

Freedom Fighter led the Halla Bol Protest in Bangalore

Bangalore 23^rd Feb 08: Street hawkers, retailers and other people joined at Yashawanthpur railway station to protest against corporate retails as a part of national programme of Halla bol. Shouted slogans against the fresh malls. Freedom fighter Mr. Doraiswamy, addressed the gathering and during his speech, said that, already many corporate retail companies have arrived to Bangalore and have started the business but the government is not taking any action to support the local street hawkers, retailers. He requested the mass to continue the struggle to curb the corporate retails and also raised question against police system (because police has threatened the organizers to post pone or cancel the programme and not ready to give the permission for the rally because of Lorry strike. But organizers took firm decision to continue the programme and have done it. Prior to the rally on 22^nd of Feb 2008, 3 volunteers along with auto taken to the police station while canvassing the programme. They were arrested and criminal cases under KPA 92(I) were framed against them.) Mr. Doraiswamy further said, “police should give the support and security for the common people. Most of the police force of country belongs to agriculturist’s family. These companies through contract farming also cheat our farmers. I am here, let the police arrest me first, I am heading this demonstration, let the police arrest. He told that, these are always happens why should go to police and ask their permission. There is no need to ask the permission, we are the people who are protecting democracy and also electing the people to serve the people. 

Ex corporator and opposition leader of Bangalore city corporation Mr.D.M. Nanjundappa,  one of the guests addressed the gathering and told he will be with the hawkers and retailers of the area whenever needed and suggested the  gathering not to bother about police, crores of  small traders, retailers and hawkers are  depending on this trade for survival. It is our right to protest and give warning to the companies that are demolishing the livelihoods.

During his speech Mr. A.K.Himakar told, if we believe in democracy it is our right to save our livelihood, we are not living in dictators country, irony is that, our people like hawkers, street vendors, retailers are struggling to lead the life where as these corporates are enjoying all the benefits of the government. Whole system of this country is supporting the corporates, what is the alternative left for the people? Government should seriously think on this issue otherwise in near future our hawkers; retailers and traders including farmers are going to hit the corporate stores like Uttar Pradesh. 

Secretary of ASTRA K, Mr. K.C. Venkatesh also addressed the meeting and said, “Our food security, livelihood, our agriculture is facing serious problems because of the entry of large multinationals in retail and in agriculture if the process continue like this, we don’t know what will happened to our people. We are raising our voices to protect ourselves, our livelihoods are under threat. We are not asking any mercy or any favor from the government. It is our right to protest and we are demanding for national policy on retail.”  

President of ASTRA K, Mr. Abdul Hammed addressed the gathering and told, if not today, tomorrow we are going to hit the corporate retails particularly reliance. We made a plan to go in a protest march but the police who should protect us are protecting the companies. Enough is enough in nearby days don’t expect us to follow the rules and regulation and law we are going to break the law let police arrest us. At least we will get food in jail. Retailers, hawkers and traders are under serious crises, does not know what to do, but as a trader I am ready for violence also if our voice is not heard.

President of Dalit Mahasabha Karnataka Siddaramaiah, Mr. S. Babu of India FDI Watch, Mr. Shiva Prasad of SUCI, trader leader Mr. Ramu from Nelamangala and local trader leaders also addressed the gathering. 

Hawkers staged two rallies in Kolkata

Under the banner of National Hawkers Federation, hawkers of Kolkata staged two rallies in the Kolkata city. Mr. Shaktiman Ghosh, General Secretary, NHF led the rallies.

Similar protests were also held in different cities across India including Allahabad, Kanpur, Hyderabad, Chennai, Nagpur, Bhuvneshwar.

India FDI Watch along with its partner organizations calls for Halla Bol on 23rd February 2008 in all the major cities of India taking demonstrations to the doorstep of corporate stores. Militant demonstrations will be organized before the corporate stores as part of the action. In Kerala, Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samiti will organize a Halla Bol rally in Trichur on 23rd Feb. Lakhs of small shopkeepers are expected to join the rally to raise their voice against corporate retail.

The political resolution draft for XIX Party Congress of CPM says, "The Party firmly opposes FDI in retail trade as it will seriously affect the livelihood of millions of shopkeepers and small traders. The entry of big Indian corporates into retail trade has a similar effect. At present there is no law to restrict the entry of corporate sector. Taking advantage of this, companies like Reliance have entered retail trade in a big way. The CPI(M) has set out a policy document for licensing and regulating the entry of corporates in retail trade. Till the Central Government puts in place such a policy, the Left led governments should take steps to regulate their entry." Leaders of the party informed India FDI Watch that West Bengal Govt. has decided to regulate the entry of corporates in retail trade according to its policy draft and a committee will be formed having traders and hawkers to issue licenses to corporations to do retail.

National Statistical Office (NSO) of South Korea reported that, Mom-and-Pop shops are disappearing from neighborhoods, losing to cutthroat competition against giant retail outlets and convenience stores. Korean Mom-and-pop shops are seeing sales drop. It says, - Losing the competition, these small retailers are disappearing from the market. According to the Bank of Korea, the number of these shops dropped to 585,996 in 2005, from 739,059 in 1995. Another statistic showed that an average 6.3 mom-and-pop shops closed down everyday between 2001 and 2006. The number of corporate stores, meanwhile, surged to 8,855 from 1,557, increasing 20 percent on average every year during the last 10 years.

Below is the link of an informative short video, reflective of the unsustainable wasteful consumption culture being developed by corporate retailers: - www.storyofstuff.org

In Solidarity !
Dharmendra Kumar
Director
India FDI Watch
M-09871179084
Email:dkfordignity@yahoo.co.uk, dkfordignity@gmail.com

Drug wholesalers of Mumbai boycott Subhiksha :
http://www.planetretail.net/NewsFeed/NewNewsFeed.aspx
Drug wholesalers of Mumbai have boycotted Subhiksha. Subhiksha has sent legal notices to drug wholesalers in Mumbai for withholding supplies. Subhiksha Managing Director R Subramanian said, "wholesalers have boycotted us and have stopped supplying medicines.
Wal-Mart did lobby Blair over Asda

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/01/27/cnasda127.xml

Details of a secret Downing Street meeting held between Tony Blair, the then prime minister, and a senior Wal-Mart executive just months before the world's biggest retailer pounced on Asda have finally been released, some nine years after the £7bn deal was struck. The Sunday Telegraph can reveal that Bob Martin, the then chief executive of Wal-Mart International, complained at the meeting to Tony Blair about Britain's restrictive planning rules. The minutes of the meeting, released last month by the Cabinet Office after a direct order from the information watchdog, lay bare the lobbying strategy employed by Wal-Mart before it bought Asda in July 1999. The three-page document exposes the frantic lobbying of a country's leaders that top executives carry out before making a major acquisition.

Mom-and-Pop Shops Disappear As Giant Retail Shops Pop Up :

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2008/02/123_18403.html

Mom-and-pop shops are disappearing from neighborhoods, losing to cutthroat competition against giant retail outlets and convenience stores. According to the National Statistical Office (NSO), huge retail outlets like E-Mart posted sales growth of 9.8 percent last year. Mom-and-pop shops, meanwhile, are seeing sales drop. Small markets below 50 pyeong (165.3 square meters), excluding convenience stores, saw sales decrease of 2.9 percent. They were the only retailers to see sales fall. Losing the competition, these small retailers are disappearing from the market. According to the Bank of Korea, the number of these shops dropped to 585,996 in 2005, from 739,059 in 1995. Another statistic showed that an average 6.3 mom-and-pop shops closed down everyday between 2001 and 2006. The number of convenience stores, meanwhile, surged to 8,855 from 1,557, increasing 20 percent on average every year during the last 10 years. Retail outlets also explosively surged to 316 from mere 25 a decade ago, growing 28.9 percent on average each year.

Retail policy stuck over Rs 16 lakh bill :
http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=14596372
The Centre's proposed retail policy seems to be stuck over, believe it or not, an uncleared bill of Rs 16 lakh. ICRIER, it seems, will not submit the report till this bill is cleared by the government. The government's objective was to draw up a comprehensive retail policy from the findings of the ICRIER study.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: Mumbai Marches on Against Globalisation :
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40953
MUMBAI, Jan 27 (IPS) - There was grim determination on the faces of the 500-strong crowd that marched through the streets of this western port city for the World Social Forum’s Global Day of Action on Saturday.
Defiantly, they carried banners that read ’Another World is Possible". The slogan -- familiar enough in this city which hosted the WSF in 2004 -- has a special ring to it because memories linger of a year-long strike in 1982, by some 250,000 textile mill workers, which failed.
"India's retail sector is facing the onslaught of national and multinational corporations which will lead to the destruction of livelihoods of over 40 million people in the country," said V. Shetty, lawyer and coordinator of India FDI Watch, an organisation spearheading a national campaign against foreign direct investment (FDI) in the retail sector, and the Vyapar Rozgar Suraksha Samiti (Committee for Protection of Livelihoods and Retailers), a coalition of small traders, hawkers and workers.
"Multinational chains have started selling vegetables at predatory prices, threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of hawkers who make a subsistence income on this work. And Indian companies like Reliance, Godrej and the Birlas open retail outlets and lure middle-class customers with prices that are below cost, running "Mom and Pop" stores out of business after which they can hike their prices sky high, said Shetty. ''The ground realities are in complete contrast to stated government policies of not allowing FDI in the retail trade. Walmart, the largest company of any kind in the world, is slated for entry into India in 2008, in a joint venture with an Indian company."

Reliance Fresh on Orissa govt watch list :
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Services/Retailing/Reliance_Fresh_on_Orissa_govt_Watch_list/articleshow/2738944.cms
NEW DELHI: Reliance Fresh could be headed for an Uttar Pradesh-like situation in Orissa with the state government learnt to have assured an India FDI Watch delegation that it will re-scrutinise the permission given to Reliance Fresh for opening outlets in Orissa. “We have been assured by a senior state government official that all possible steps would be taken for the rehabilitation of roadside vendors. The permission given to Reliance Fresh for opening outlets would also be scrutinised,†India FDI Watch director Dharmendra Kumar told ET.
India FDI Watch is a national association of small traders that is opposing big and foreign retail players. The Orissa government has, meanwhile, also offered a helping hand to the roadside vendors, notifying specific zones for them across the state.
To start with, 15 such vending zones will be opened in the Cuttack district of Orissa, aimed at rehabilitating roadside vendors, whose business has reportedly suffered major losses due to entry of organised retail players. Reliance Fresh has had a difficult time operating in the state. Even its launch in September last year was marred by violent protests from local traders and the company had to close down its Bhubaneshwar store for a couple of hours on the day of the launch itself.
The state government had also refused to extend any preferential treatment or additional security to the corporate giant.
Farmers urged to come under one umbrella :
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Farmers-urged-to-come-under-one-umbrella/267068/0
The former Union agriculture minister and the CPI leader, Chaturanan Mishra urged the farmers' organizations affiliated to different political parties in country to come under one platform to fight for the just cause. The conference passed a resolution demanding hike in the minimum support price (MSP) for paddy to at least Rs 1000 per quintal and that of paddy and that of wheat to at least Rs 1600 per quintal. It criticised the wheat imports done by the government at higher prices in 2006 and 2007, when ample wheat was available in the country. The government should have purchased wheat from farmers by raising the MSP, instead of buying wheat in the global market at higher prices, it said Expressing concerns over the government's apathy towards the increasing incidences of suicides committed by farmers, the Bharatiya Krishak Samaj president, Krishan Bir Chaudhary demanded reversal of the anti-farmer policies. The resolution criticized the government for opening the doors to the corporate houses and multinationals in Indian agriculture and in the retail chains as this would lead to greater exploitation of farmers. The resolution also called for a ban on futures trading in agro commodities. The resolution also demanded a ban on genetically modified crops. The farmers have suffered huge losses on account of Bt cotton cultivation.

Mom, Pop stores impacted by big retail: ICRIER :
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Mom--Pop-stores-impacted-by-big-retail--ICRIER/266673/

The neighbourhood kirana stores will initially feel the heat with the growth of big super markets and malls, Rajiv Kumar, Director of ICRIER, which has been entrusted with a government study on the impact of organised retail on Mom & Pop stores, said. "Small retailers will be initially impacted by the entry of large scale retail houses. However, the impact is likely to be diluted over a period of time", Kumar said.

Draft Political Resolution For XIX Party Congress :
http://pd.cpim.org/2008/0127_pd/01272008_draft.htm

The Party firmly opposes FDI in retail trade as it will seriously affect the livelihood of millions of shopkeepers and small traders. The entry of big Indian corporates into retail trade has a similar effect. At present there is no law to restrict the entry of corporate sector. Taking advantage of this, companies like Reliance have entered retail trade in a big way. The CPI(M) has set out a policy document for licensing and regulating the entry of corporates in retail trade. Till the Central Government puts in place such a policy, the Left - led governments should take steps to regulate their entry.

Reliance to unveil new speciality format; plans to set up 100 AutoZone stores :
Having already launched its first ˜ AutoZone " in the recently opened Reliance Mart (Hypermarket) at Jamnagar (Gujarat) on the 30th January, Reliance Retail, is ready to rollout a super speciality retail chain of auto stores across the country. Apart from selling auto spares and repairing two wheelers and four wheelers, AutoZone stores will also retail two wheelers and pre-used branded cars.Reliance plans to set up about 100 such AutoZone stores across the country, within a year.

Landmark group to undetake aggressive retail expansion; plans $500 mn. investment in 3 years :
indiaretailbiz.com

Landmark Group, owned by Dubai-based group of NRIs, which currently operates 19 stores under three retail chains across 9 cities in India, according to a Business Standard report, is planning to invest another $500 million in the next three years (by 2010) in the country. The group, in the past 10 years, since 1998, has invested $100 million in the country. Landmark group operates over 650 stores across West Asia, India, China and Spain. Landmark's current operations comprise 13 Lifestyle stores, 5 Home Centre stores and a Babyshop store operating out of Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, New Delhi, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Vashi and Pune.

Reliance could soon foray into travel retail business :
To begin with, before venturing into full fledged travel business, the company would first like to leverage on the domestic and international travel business worth about Rs. 100 crore being generated by the group and on promotional schemes that offer travel related incentives like holidays to its retail customers. The company, incidentally, has already incorporated a subsidiary called Reliance Retail Travel & Forex Services Ltd. The new company appears to have tied up with Indian, the national airline, for up to 30% discount on airfares.

Kamal Nath defends retail FDI policy :
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/02/09/stories/2008020952401000.htm

Bangalore, Feb. 8 The Union Commerce Minister, Mr Kamal Nath, on Friday said that the government will continue to reduce customs duty but it will also ensure that every fiscal policy decision it takes stimulates economic growth. But he defended India’s policy on retail FDI stating that there was a need to protect smaller retail shops and the conditions in the country were different from other countries. "We need to see that the policy does not dislocate small retailers," he told delegates at the India Sourcing Summit.

Birla Retail in talks with farmers' co-ops for direct procurement :
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Birla-Retail-in-talks-with-farmers---co-ops-for-direct-procurement/269189/

Bangalore, Feb 4 Even as India's largest business conglomerate Reliance Industries is facing trouble over its retail venture over procurement of farm products, its competitor Aditya Birla Retail Ltd, the retail arm of the $23-billion Aditya Birla Group, is trying to overcome the hurdles by tying up with farmers' cooperative societies. The company, that has set a target of establishing 1,000-1,500 superMarkets and has earmarked Rs 8,000-9,000 crore in the next five years, is planning to tie-up with cooperatives to procure fresh farm products, vegetables and fruits.

Spencer's first hypermarket in Kolkata launched; plans to invest Rs. 2,500 Cr. in expansion :
Spencer's, among the oldest names in retail sector, threw open the doors of its Hypermarket store on in Kolkata on the 1st Feruary, 2008. The store was opened by the group patriarch R P Goenka. Besides Kolkata, Spencer's also operates hypermarket format stores in Mumbai, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Calicut, Hyderabad, Vizag, Vijayawada, Aurangabad and Durgapur. The group is planning to scale up its operations to 52 cities in the coming months.

India FDI Watch along with its partner organizations calls for Halla Bol on 23rd February 2008 in all the major cities of India taking demonstrations to the doorstep of corporate stores. Militant demonstrations will be organized before the corporate stores as part of the action. In Kerala, Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samiti will organize a Halla Bol rally in Trichur on 23rd Feb. Lakhs of small shopkeepers are expected to join the rally to raise their voice against corporate retail.

The political resolution draft for XIX Party Congress of CPM says, "The Party firmly opposes FDI in retail trade as it will seriously affect the livelihood of millions of shopkeepers and small traders. The entry of big Indian corporates into retail trade has a similar effect. At present there is no law to restrict the entry of corporate sector. Taking advantage of this, companies like Reliance have entered retail trade in a big way. The CPI(M) has set out a policy document for licensing and regulating the entry of corporates in retail trade. Till the Central Government puts in place such a policy, the Left led governments should take steps to regulate their entry." Leaders of the party informed India FDI Watch that West Bengal Govt. has decided to regulate the entry of corporates in retail trade according to its policy draft and a committee will be formed having traders and hawkers to issue licenses to corporations to do retail.

National Statistical Office (NSO) of South Korea reported that, Mom-and-Pop shops are disappearing from neighborhoods, losing to cutthroat competition against giant retail outlets and convenience stores. Korean Mom-and-pop shops are seeing sales drop. It says, - Losing the competition, these small retailers are disappearing from the market. According to the Bank of Korea, the number of these shops dropped to 585,996 in 2005, from 739,059 in 1995. Another statistic showed that an average 6.3 mom-and-pop shops closed down everyday between 2001 and 2006. The number of corporate stores, meanwhile, surged to 8,855 from 1,557, increasing 20 percent on average every year during the last 10 years.

Below is the link of an informative short video, reflective of the unsustainable wasteful consumption culture being developed by corporate retailers: - www.storyofstuff.org

In Solidarity !
Dharmendra Kumar
Director
India FDI Watch
M-09871179084
Email:dkfordignity@yahoo.co.uk, dkfordignity@gmail.com

Drug wholesalers of Mumbai boycott Subhiksha :
http://www.planetretail.net/NewsFeed/NewNewsFeed.aspx
Drug wholesalers of Mumbai have boycotted Subhiksha. Subhiksha has sent legal notices to drug wholesalers in Mumbai for withholding supplies. Subhiksha Managing Director R Subramanian said, "wholesalers have boycotted us and have stopped supplying medicines.
Wal-Mart did lobby Blair over Asda

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/01/27/cnasda127.xml

Details of a secret Downing Street meeting held between Tony Blair, the then prime minister, and a senior Wal-Mart executive just months before the world's biggest retailer pounced on Asda have finally been released, some nine years after the £7bn deal was struck. The Sunday Telegraph can reveal that Bob Martin, the then chief executive of Wal-Mart International, complained at the meeting to Tony Blair about Britain's restrictive planning rules. The minutes of the meeting, released last month by the Cabinet Office after a direct order from the information watchdog, lay bare the lobbying strategy employed by Wal-Mart before it bought Asda in July 1999. The three-page document exposes the frantic lobbying of a country's leaders that top executives carry out before making a major acquisition.

Mom-and-Pop Shops Disappear As Giant Retail Shops Pop Up :

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2008/02/123_18403.html

Mom-and-pop shops are disappearing from neighborhoods, losing to cutthroat competition against giant retail outlets and convenience stores. According to the National Statistical Office (NSO), huge retail outlets like E-Mart posted sales growth of 9.8 percent last year. Mom-and-pop shops, meanwhile, are seeing sales drop. Small markets below 50 pyeong (165.3 square meters), excluding convenience stores, saw sales decrease of 2.9 percent. They were the only retailers to see sales fall. Losing the competition, these small retailers are disappearing from the market. According to the Bank of Korea, the number of these shops dropped to 585,996 in 2005, from 739,059 in 1995. Another statistic showed that an average 6.3 mom-and-pop shops closed down everyday between 2001 and 2006. The number of convenience stores, meanwhile, surged to 8,855 from 1,557, increasing 20 percent on average every year during the last 10 years. Retail outlets also explosively surged to 316 from mere 25 a decade ago, growing 28.9 percent on average each year.

Retail policy stuck over Rs 16 lakh bill :
http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=14596372
The Centre's proposed retail policy seems to be stuck over, believe it or not, an uncleared bill of Rs 16 lakh. ICRIER, it seems, will not submit the report till this bill is cleared by the government. The government's objective was to draw up a comprehensive retail policy from the findings of the ICRIER study.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: Mumbai Marches on Against Globalisation :
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40953
MUMBAI, Jan 27 (IPS) - There was grim determination on the faces of the 500-strong crowd that marched through the streets of this western port city for the World Social Forum’s Global Day of Action on Saturday.
Defiantly, they carried banners that read ’Another World is Possible". The slogan -- familiar enough in this city which hosted the WSF in 2004 -- has a special ring to it because memories linger of a year-long strike in 1982, by some 250,000 textile mill workers, which failed.
"India's retail sector is facing the onslaught of national and multinational corporations which will lead to the destruction of livelihoods of over 40 million people in the country," said V. Shetty, lawyer and coordinator of India FDI Watch, an organisation spearheading a national campaign against foreign direct investment (FDI) in the retail sector, and the Vyapar Rozgar Suraksha Samiti (Committee for Protection of Livelihoods and Retailers), a coalition of small traders, hawkers and workers.
"Multinational chains have started selling vegetables at predatory prices, threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of hawkers who make a subsistence income on this work. And Indian companies like Reliance, Godrej and the Birlas open retail outlets and lure middle-class customers with prices that are below cost, running "Mom and Pop" stores out of business after which they can hike their prices sky high, said Shetty. ''The ground realities are in complete contrast to stated government policies of not allowing FDI in the retail trade. Walmart, the largest company of any kind in the world, is slated for entry into India in 2008, in a joint venture with an Indian company."

Reliance Fresh on Orissa govt watch list :
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Services/Retailing/Reliance_Fresh_on_Orissa_govt_Watch_list/articleshow/2738944.cms
NEW DELHI: Reliance Fresh could be headed for an Uttar Pradesh-like situation in Orissa with the state government learnt to have assured an India FDI Watch delegation that it will re-scrutinise the permission given to Reliance Fresh for opening outlets in Orissa. “We have been assured by a senior state government official that all possible steps would be taken for the rehabilitation of roadside vendors. The permission given to Reliance Fresh for opening outlets would also be scrutinised,†India FDI Watch director Dharmendra Kumar told ET.
India FDI Watch is a national association of small traders that is opposing big and foreign retail players. The Orissa government has, meanwhile, also offered a helping hand to the roadside vendors, notifying specific zones for them across the state.
To start with, 15 such vending zones will be opened in the Cuttack district of Orissa, aimed at rehabilitating roadside vendors, whose business has reportedly suffered major losses due to entry of organised retail players. Reliance Fresh has had a difficult time operating in the state. Even its launch in September last year was marred by violent protests from local traders and the company had to close down its Bhubaneshwar store for a couple of hours on the day of the launch itself.
The state government had also refused to extend any preferential treatment or additional security to the corporate giant.
Farmers urged to come under one umbrella :
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Farmers-urged-to-come-under-one-umbrella/267068/0
The former Union agriculture minister and the CPI leader, Chaturanan Mishra urged the farmers' organizations affiliated to different political parties in country to come under one platform to fight for the just cause. The conference passed a resolution demanding hike in the minimum support price (MSP) for paddy to at least Rs 1000 per quintal and that of paddy and that of wheat to at least Rs 1600 per quintal. It criticised the wheat imports done by the government at higher prices in 2006 and 2007, when ample wheat was available in the country. The government should have purchased wheat from farmers by raising the MSP, instead of buying wheat in the global market at higher prices, it said Expressing concerns over the government's apathy towards the increasing incidences of suicides committed by farmers, the Bharatiya Krishak Samaj president, Krishan Bir Chaudhary demanded reversal of the anti-farmer policies. The resolution criticized the government for opening the doors to the corporate houses and multinationals in Indian agriculture and in the retail chains as this would lead to greater exploitation of farmers. The resolution also called for a ban on futures trading in agro commodities. The resolution also demanded a ban on genetically modified crops. The farmers have suffered huge losses on account of Bt cotton cultivation.

Mom, Pop stores impacted by big retail: ICRIER :
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Mom--Pop-stores-impacted-by-big-retail--ICRIER/266673/

The neighbourhood kirana stores will initially feel the heat with the growth of big super markets and malls, Rajiv Kumar, Director of ICRIER, which has been entrusted with a government study on the impact of organised retail on Mom & Pop stores, said. "Small retailers will be initially impacted by the entry of large scale retail houses. However, the impact is likely to be diluted over a period of time", Kumar said.

Draft Political Resolution For XIX Party Congress :
http://pd.cpim.org/2008/0127_pd/01272008_draft.htm

The Party firmly opposes FDI in retail trade as it will seriously affect the livelihood of millions of shopkeepers and small traders. The entry of big Indian corporates into retail trade has a similar effect. At present there is no law to restrict the entry of corporate sector. Taking advantage of this, companies like Reliance have entered retail trade in a big way. The CPI(M) has set out a policy document for licensing and regulating the entry of corporates in retail trade. Till the Central Government puts in place such a policy, the Left - led governments should take steps to regulate their entry.

Reliance to unveil new speciality format; plans to set up 100 AutoZone stores :
Having already launched its first ˜ AutoZone " in the recently opened Reliance Mart (Hypermarket) at Jamnagar (Gujarat) on the 30th January, Reliance Retail, is ready to rollout a super speciality retail chain of auto stores across the country. Apart from selling auto spares and repairing two wheelers and four wheelers, AutoZone stores will also retail two wheelers and pre-used branded cars.Reliance plans to set up about 100 such AutoZone stores across the country, within a year.

Landmark group to undetake aggressive retail expansion; plans $500 mn. investment in 3 years :
indiaretailbiz.com

Landmark Group, owned by Dubai-based group of NRIs, which currently operates 19 stores under three retail chains across 9 cities in India, according to a Business Standard report, is planning to invest another $500 million in the next three years (by 2010) in the country. The group, in the past 10 years, since 1998, has invested $100 million in the country. Landmark group operates over 650 stores across West Asia, India, China and Spain. Landmark's current operations comprise 13 Lifestyle stores, 5 Home Centre stores and a Babyshop store operating out of Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, New Delhi, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Vashi and Pune.

Reliance could soon foray into travel retail business :
To begin with, before venturing into full fledged travel business, the company would first like to leverage on the domestic and international travel business worth about Rs. 100 crore being generated by the group and on promotional schemes that offer travel related incentives like holidays to its retail customers. The company, incidentally, has already incorporated a subsidiary called Reliance Retail Travel & Forex Services Ltd. The new company appears to have tied up with Indian, the national airline, for up to 30% discount on airfares.

Kamal Nath defends retail FDI policy :
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/02/09/stories/2008020952401000.htm

Bangalore, Feb. 8 The Union Commerce Minister, Mr Kamal Nath, on Friday said that the government will continue to reduce customs duty but it will also ensure that every fiscal policy decision it takes stimulates economic growth. But he defended India’s policy on retail FDI stating that there was a need to protect smaller retail shops and the conditions in the country were different from other countries. "We need to see that the policy does not dislocate small retailers," he told delegates at the India Sourcing Summit.

Birla Retail in talks with farmers' co-ops for direct procurement :
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Birla-Retail-in-talks-with-farmers---co-ops-for-direct-procurement/269189/

Bangalore, Feb 4 Even as India's largest business conglomerate Reliance Industries is facing trouble over its retail venture over procurement of farm products, its competitor Aditya Birla Retail Ltd, the retail arm of the $23-billion Aditya Birla Group, is trying to overcome the hurdles by tying up with farmers' cooperative societies. The company, that has set a target of establishing 1,000-1,500 superMarkets and has earmarked Rs 8,000-9,000 crore in the next five years, is planning to tie-up with cooperatives to procure fresh farm products, vegetables and fruits.

Spencer's first hypermarket in Kolkata launched; plans to invest Rs. 2,500 Cr. in expansion :
Spencer's, among the oldest names in retail sector, threw open the doors of its Hypermarket store on in Kolkata on the 1st Feruary, 2008. The store was opened by the group patriarch R P Goenka. Besides Kolkata, Spencer's also operates hypermarket format stores in Mumbai, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Calicut, Hyderabad, Vizag, Vijayawada, Aurangabad and Durgapur. The group is planning to scale up its operations to 52 cities in the coming months.

India FDI Watch along with its partner organizations calls for Halla Bol on 23rd February 2008 in all the major cities of India taking demonstrations to the doorstep of corporate stores. Militant demonstrations will be organized before the corporate stores as part of the action. In Kerala, Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samiti will organize a Halla Bol rally in Trichur on 23rd Feb. Lakhs of small shopkeepers are expected to join the rally to raise their voice against corporate retail.

The political resolution draft for XIX Party Congress of CPM says, "The Party firmly opposes FDI in retail trade as it will seriously affect the livelihood of millions of shopkeepers and small traders. The entry of big Indian corporates into retail trade has a similar effect. At present there is no law to restrict the entry of corporate sector. Taking advantage of this, companies like Reliance have entered retail trade in a big way. The CPI(M) has set out a policy document for licensing and regulating the entry of corporates in retail trade. Till the Central Government puts in place such a policy, the Left led governments should take steps to regulate their entry." Leaders of the party informed India FDI Watch that West Bengal Govt. has decided to regulate the entry of corporates in retail trade according to its policy draft and a committee will be formed having traders and hawkers to issue licenses to corporations to do retail.

National Statistical Office (NSO) of South Korea reported that, Mom-and-Pop shops are disappearing from neighborhoods, losing to cutthroat competition against giant retail outlets and convenience stores. Korean Mom-and-pop shops are seeing sales drop. It says, - Losing the competition, these small retailers are disappearing from the market. According to the Bank of Korea, the number of these shops dropped to 585,996 in 2005, from 739,059 in 1995. Another statistic showed that an average 6.3 mom-and-pop shops closed down everyday between 2001 and 2006. The number of corporate stores, meanwhile, surged to 8,855 from 1,557, increasing 20 percent on average every year during the last 10 years.

Below is the link of an informative short video, reflective of the unsustainable wasteful consumption culture being developed by corporate retailers: - www.storyofstuff.org

In Solidarity !
Dharmendra Kumar
Director
India FDI Watch
M-09871179084
Email:dkfordignity@yahoo.co.uk, dkfordignity@gmail.com

Drug wholesalers of Mumbai boycott Subhiksha :
http://www.planetretail.net/NewsFeed/NewNewsFeed.aspx
Drug wholesalers of Mumbai have boycotted Subhiksha. Subhiksha has sent legal notices to drug wholesalers in Mumbai for withholding supplies. Subhiksha Managing Director R Subramanian said, "wholesalers have boycotted us and have stopped supplying medicines.
Wal-Mart did lobby Blair over Asda

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/01/27/cnasda127.xml

Details of a secret Downing Street meeting held between Tony Blair, the then prime minister, and a senior Wal-Mart executive just months before the world's biggest retailer pounced on Asda have finally been released, some nine years after the £7bn deal was struck. The Sunday Telegraph can reveal that Bob Martin, the then chief executive of Wal-Mart International, complained at the meeting to Tony Blair about Britain's restrictive planning rules. The minutes of the meeting, released last month by the Cabinet Office after a direct order from the information watchdog, lay bare the lobbying strategy employed by Wal-Mart before it bought Asda in July 1999. The three-page document exposes the frantic lobbying of a country's leaders that top executives carry out before making a major acquisition.

Mom-and-Pop Shops Disappear As Giant Retail Shops Pop Up :

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2008/02/123_18403.html

Mom-and-pop shops are disappearing from neighborhoods, losing to cutthroat competition against giant retail outlets and convenience stores. According to the National Statistical Office (NSO), huge retail outlets like E-Mart posted sales growth of 9.8 percent last year. Mom-and-pop shops, meanwhile, are seeing sales drop. Small markets below 50 pyeong (165.3 square meters), excluding convenience stores, saw sales decrease of 2.9 percent. They were the only retailers to see sales fall. Losing the competition, these small retailers are disappearing from the market. According to the Bank of Korea, the number of these shops dropped to 585,996 in 2005, from 739,059 in 1995. Another statistic showed that an average 6.3 mom-and-pop shops closed down everyday between 2001 and 2006. The number of convenience stores, meanwhile, surged to 8,855 from 1,557, increasing 20 percent on average every year during the last 10 years. Retail outlets also explosively surged to 316 from mere 25 a decade ago, growing 28.9 percent on average each year.

Retail policy stuck over Rs 16 lakh bill :
http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=14596372
The Centre's proposed retail policy seems to be stuck over, believe it or not, an uncleared bill of Rs 16 lakh. ICRIER, it seems, will not submit the report till this bill is cleared by the government. The government's objective was to draw up a comprehensive retail policy from the findings of the ICRIER study.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: Mumbai Marches on Against Globalisation :
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40953
MUMBAI, Jan 27 (IPS) - There was grim determination on the faces of the 500-strong crowd that marched through the streets of this western port city for the World Social Forum’s Global Day of Action on Saturday.
Defiantly, they carried banners that read ’Another World is Possible". The slogan -- familiar enough in this city which hosted the WSF in 2004 -- has a special ring to it because memories linger of a year-long strike in 1982, by some 250,000 textile mill workers, which failed.
"India's retail sector is facing the onslaught of national and multinational corporations which will lead to the destruction of livelihoods of over 40 million people in the country," said V. Shetty, lawyer and coordinator of India FDI Watch, an organisation spearheading a national campaign against foreign direct investment (FDI) in the retail sector, and the Vyapar Rozgar Suraksha Samiti (Committee for Protection of Livelihoods and Retailers), a coalition of small traders, hawkers and workers.
"Multinational chains have started selling vegetables at predatory prices, threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of hawkers who make a subsistence income on this work. And Indian companies like Reliance, Godrej and the Birlas open retail outlets and lure middle-class customers with prices that are below cost, running "Mom and Pop" stores out of business after which they can hike their prices sky high, said Shetty. ''The ground realities are in complete contrast to stated government policies of not allowing FDI in the retail trade. Walmart, the largest company of any kind in the world, is slated for entry into India in 2008, in a joint venture with an Indian company."

Reliance Fresh on Orissa govt watch list :
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Services/Retailing/Reliance_Fresh_on_Orissa_govt_Watch_list/articleshow/2738944.cms
NEW DELHI: Reliance Fresh could be headed for an Uttar Pradesh-like situation in Orissa with the state government learnt to have assured an India FDI Watch delegation that it will re-scrutinise the permission given to Reliance Fresh for opening outlets in Orissa. “We have been assured by a senior state government official that all possible steps would be taken for the rehabilitation of roadside vendors. The permission given to Reliance Fresh for opening outlets would also be scrutinised,†India FDI Watch director Dharmendra Kumar told ET.
India FDI Watch is a national association of small traders that is opposing big and foreign retail players. The Orissa government has, meanwhile, also offered a helping hand to the roadside vendors, notifying specific zones for them across the state.
To start with, 15 such vending zones will be opened in the Cuttack district of Orissa, aimed at rehabilitating roadside vendors, whose business has reportedly suffered major losses due to entry of organised retail players. Reliance Fresh has had a difficult time operating in the state. Even its launch in September last year was marred by violent protests from local traders and the company had to close down its Bhubaneshwar store for a couple of hours on the day of the launch itself.
The state government had also refused to extend any preferential treatment or additional security to the corporate giant.
Farmers urged to come under one umbrella :
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Farmers-urged-to-come-under-one-umbrella/267068/0
The former Union agriculture minister and the CPI leader, Chaturanan Mishra urged the farmers' organizations affiliated to different political parties in country to come under one platform to fight for the just cause. The conference passed a resolution demanding hike in the minimum support price (MSP) for paddy to at least Rs 1000 per quintal and that of paddy and that of wheat to at least Rs 1600 per quintal. It criticised the wheat imports done by the government at higher prices in 2006 and 2007, when ample wheat was available in the country. The government should have purchased wheat from farmers by raising the MSP, instead of buying wheat in the global market at higher prices, it said Expressing concerns over the government's apathy towards the increasing incidences of suicides committed by farmers, the Bharatiya Krishak Samaj president, Krishan Bir Chaudhary demanded reversal of the anti-farmer policies. The resolution criticized the government for opening the doors to the corporate houses and multinationals in Indian agriculture and in the retail chains as this would lead to greater exploitation of farmers. The resolution also called for a ban on futures trading in agro commodities. The resolution also demanded a ban on genetically modified crops. The farmers have suffered huge losses on account of Bt cotton cultivation.

Mom, Pop stores impacted by big retail: ICRIER :
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Mom--Pop-stores-impacted-by-big-retail--ICRIER/266673/

The neighbourhood kirana stores will initially feel the heat with the growth of big super markets and malls, Rajiv Kumar, Director of ICRIER, which has been entrusted with a government study on the impact of organised retail on Mom & Pop stores, said. "Small retailers will be initially impacted by the entry of large scale retail houses. However, the impact is likely to be diluted over a period of time", Kumar said.

Draft Political Resolution For XIX Party Congress :
http://pd.cpim.org/2008/0127_pd/01272008_draft.htm

The Party firmly opposes FDI in retail trade as it will seriously affect the livelihood of millions of shopkeepers and small traders. The entry of big Indian corporates into retail trade has a similar effect. At present there is no law to restrict the entry of corporate sector. Taking advantage of this, companies like Reliance have entered retail trade in a big way. The CPI(M) has set out a policy document for licensing and regulating the entry of corporates in retail trade. Till the Central Government puts in place such a policy, the Left - led governments should take steps to regulate their entry.

Reliance to unveil new speciality format; plans to set up 100 AutoZone stores :
Having already launched its first ˜ AutoZone " in the recently opened Reliance Mart (Hypermarket) at Jamnagar (Gujarat) on the 30th January, Reliance Retail, is ready to rollout a super speciality retail chain of auto stores across the country. Apart from selling auto spares and repairing two wheelers and four wheelers, AutoZone stores will also retail two wheelers and pre-used branded cars.Reliance plans to set up about 100 such AutoZone stores across the country, within a year.

Landmark group to undetake aggressive retail expansion; plans $500 mn. investment in 3 years :
indiaretailbiz.com

Landmark Group, owned by Dubai-based group of NRIs, which currently operates 19 stores under three retail chains across 9 cities in India, according to a Business Standard report, is planning to invest another $500 million in the next three years (by 2010) in the country. The group, in the past 10 years, since 1998, has invested $100 million in the country. Landmark group operates over 650 stores across West Asia, India, China and Spain. Landmark's current operations comprise 13 Lifestyle stores, 5 Home Centre stores and a Babyshop store operating out of Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, New Delhi, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Vashi and Pune.

Reliance could soon foray into travel retail business :
To begin with, before venturing into full fledged travel business, the company would first like to leverage on the domestic and international travel business worth about Rs. 100 crore being generated by the group and on promotional schemes that offer travel related incentives like holidays to its retail customers. The company, incidentally, has already incorporated a subsidiary called Reliance Retail Travel & Forex Services Ltd. The new company appears to have tied up with Indian, the national airline, for up to 30% discount on airfares.

Kamal Nath defends retail FDI policy :
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/02/09/stories/2008020952401000.htm

Bangalore, Feb. 8 The Union Commerce Minister, Mr Kamal Nath, on Friday said that the government will continue to reduce customs duty but it will also ensure that every fiscal policy decision it takes stimulates economic growth. But he defended India’s policy on retail FDI stating that there was a need to protect smaller retail shops and the conditions in the country were different from other countries. "We need to see that the policy does not dislocate small retailers," he told delegates at the India Sourcing Summit.

Birla Retail in talks with farmers' co-ops for direct procurement :
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Birla-Retail-in-talks-with-farmers---co-ops-for-direct-procurement/269189/

Bangalore, Feb 4 Even as India's largest business conglomerate Reliance Industries is facing trouble over its retail venture over procurement of farm products, its competitor Aditya Birla Retail Ltd, the retail arm of the $23-billion Aditya Birla Group, is trying to overcome the hurdles by tying up with farmers' cooperative societies. The company, that has set a target of establishing 1,000-1,500 superMarkets and has earmarked Rs 8,000-9,000 crore in the next five years, is planning to tie-up with cooperatives to procure fresh farm products, vegetables and fruits.

Spencer's first hypermarket in Kolkata launched; plans to invest Rs. 2,500 Cr. in expansion :
Spencer's, among the oldest names in retail sector, threw open the doors of its Hypermarket store on in Kolkata on the 1st Feruary, 2008. The store was opened by the group patriarch R P Goenka. Besides Kolkata, Spencer's also operates hypermarket format stores in Mumbai, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Calicut, Hyderabad, Vizag, Vijayawada, Aurangabad and Durgapur. The group is planning to scale up its operations to 52 cities in the coming months.

http://vyaparjanvad.wordpress.com/

On the heels of the announcement of the Bharti-Walmart joint venture, thousands of traders, hawkers, farmers and workers protested across India. Protesters also included a group of American students who demanded that Wal-Mart not be allowed into India. Mass-based organizations called on the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi to immediately stop the Bharti-Walmart Joint Venture and not allow Wal-Mart’s backdoor entry into India. There was also a strong united call on all corporations—both foreign and domestic—to "Quit Retail". The protests were timed to commemorate the start of the "Quit India" movement, which started on August 9, 1942, with mass-based sections of society drawing parallels to the East India Company and companies like Wal-Mart, Bharti and Reliance.

Agitations took place in the metro cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata along with other major cities including, Kalicut, Bhopal, Jaipur, Ranchi, Balia, Meerath, Sonipat, Nagpur, Nasik, Pune and Indore.

In Delhi, thousands of traders, hawkers, farmers and workers protested in Chandni Chowk, a historical market, and burned effigies of Wal-Mart, Bharti and Reliance. Dharmendra Kumar, Director of India FDI Watch and national coordinator of the Vyapaar Aur Rozgaar Bachao Andolan conducted the proceedings and told the agitators, "Both Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh have acknowledged the dangers of corporations entering into the retail sector. The Govt. has commissioned a report looking at the impact of the entire supply chain on livelihoods after Sonia Gandhi had written a letter of caution. Sonia Gandhi had also publicly refused to meet with Michael Duke, Wal-Mart Vice-Chairman during his visit in February after public demonstrations were held due to his arrival. However, both Sonia Gandhi and the PMO have remained silent on the Bharti-Wal-Mart deal and though they have publicly cautioned against corporations and commissioned a study, they have taken no subsequent actions. He demanded that the Wal-Mart Bharti joint venture should be immediately revoked and all corporations should be stopped until thorough study has been conducted by an independent special task force comprising of stakeholders."

Shyam Bihari Mishra, President, Bhartiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal refered back to the British Raj, stating, "The East India Company, the most powerful company at the time, came to colonize India’s people and domestic and international trade and now Wal-Mart, the world’s largest company is trying to enter India to do the same. Mr. Mishra said India has a history of resistance, our people threw out the British and sixty years later if millions have their businesses and livelihoods threatened we will do the same now. He announced that family members of traders would boycott corporate stores." Praveen Khandelwal, General Secretary, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said "The livelihoods of retail traders are at stake. If big retail giants like Wal-Mart and Reliance come into the country, small traders would be finished." A mass campaign would be launched to strike back and make corporations realise that we will not let them ruin our livelihoods, he said.

Vandana Shiva, Director, Navdanya said "India is a land of retail democracy- hundreds of thousands of weekly haats and bazaars are located across the length and breadth of our country by people’s own self-organizational capacities. In a country with large numbers of people, and high levels of poverty, the existing model of retail democracy is the most appropriate in terms of economic viability and ecological sustainability.".

Shaktiman Ghosh, General Secretary, National Hawkers Federation warned the government "about taking such strong stances against India’s millions of hawkers and small shopkeepers in favor of only a few huge corporations who seek to dominate the Indian retail market."

Mr. Indu Prakash of Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reform revealed the nexus between judiciary and corporate retail which led to the ceiling of shops of more than one hundred thousands of traders of Delhi and still goes on.

Mr. Bhati of Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh, Delhi, Harbhajan Singh Siddhu, National Secretary, Hind Mazdoor Sabha, Sunil Kansal, Secretary, Rashtriya Vyapar Mandal, Hakim Singh Rawat, General Secretary, Delhi Hawkers Welfare Association, Banwari Lal Sharma, President, Aazadi Bachaon Aandolan, R K Sharma, Secreatry, UTUC-Lenin Sarani and Venkatesh of Lok Raj Sangathan also addressed the protesters in Delhi.

In Mumbai, thousands of retailers, hawkers, workers and cooperatives participated in a one day trade bandh and a mass public event organized by the Vyapaar Rozgaar Suraksha Kriti Samiti, a joint action committee of trade associations, hawkers groups, trade unions and others. Leaders of Federation of Associations of Maharastra (FAM), Retail and Dispensing Chemists Association (RDCA), India FDI Watch, Mumbai Mahanagar Vyapari Seva Parishad (MMVSP), Mumbai Vyapar Mahasang (MVM), Apna Bazaar, National Hawkers Federation, Center of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and Hind Mazdoor Kisan Panchayat (HMKP) addressed the protesters. Mohan Gurnani, Convener of the Mumbai based Vyapaar Rozgaar Suraksha Kriti Samiti and President of the Federation of Associations of Maharastra (FAM) said "organised retaling would leave 20 crore people without jobs. Let the government first come out with a rehabilitation for these people and then it can open up FDI in retail". Kishore Shah, President of the Mobile & Telecom Retailers and Distributors Association (MTRDA), stated that around 12,000 retail shop-keepers deal in SIM cards and recharge vouchers of Air-Tel in Mumbai, generating business worth crores of rupees every day. Mr. Shah said "We have already informed all our members, distributors and wholesalers against selling any Airtel products". The Mumbai APMC—wholesale— market remained closed, along with thousands of retail shops across the city, including all chemists and druggists shops. Apna Bazaar, Maharastra’s largest cooperative store also downed its shutters and wholesale markets remained closed in Nasik and Pune.
At an evening event at Shanmukananda Hall in Mumbai mass-based groups laid out a future course of action and adopted a charter of demands. They called on the Center to immediately repeal the Wholesale Cash-n-Carry Permission, and all licenses granted under the permission; repeal the APMC Model Act, implement the National Policy on Street Vendors, take measures against predatory pricing and formulate a national policy on retail trade and small scale industries.

In Bangalore thousands protested at the town hall and burned effigies of corporate retailers like Wal-Mart and Reliance. The protest culminated in leaders presenting the Governor with a memorandum calling on the state to repeal the recent passage of the APMC Model Act. A Charter of Demands, same as was passed in Mumbai, was also placed before the District Collector. Smaller protests were organized throughout the state in different districts including Kodagu, Bijapur, Gulbarga and Davangere districts.

In Jaipur fifty American students joined with hawkers demanding that Wal-Mart leave India and demanding implementation of the National Policy on Street Vendors. The American students and hawkers demonstrated in the old city and held signs saying "Americans Oppose Wal-Mart Everywhere". Ms. Cheryl, an American citizen, learning Hindi at Jaipur said that Wal-Mart has a disastrous impact on small shopkeepers and neighbourhood communities in America and called Indians to learn from their experience and not to allow Wal-Mart to operate in India. Ms. Cheryl said that the world is moving from ‘Corporate to Cooperative’ and Indians should not corporatize their cooperatives.

In Kerala the Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Egono Samiti organized protest marches in over 1000 places across the state. In Kalicut over 10,000 traders protested in front of the corporation’s office and submitted a memorandum demanding that corporations keep out of retail and the immediate halt to Wal-Mart’s backdoor entry and the repeal of the Wholesale Cash-N-Carry permission.

In Kolkata the Federation of Trade Organizations (FTO) of West Bengal organized protests in all the 12 districts of the city along with protests across West Bengal, including in front of malls. Tens of thousands traders participated in the protest. In the evening, thousands of hawkers took out a protest march from the city museum.

In Ranchi, Uday Shankar Ojha who led the vegetable vendors before Reliance Fresh in May and has only recently been released from Jail, led thousands of hawkers and vegetable vendors at Albert Ekka Chowk in Ranchi, demanding that Reliance Fresh and all other corporations leave the retail sector and "withdraw their sinister plans to displace millions of livelihoods".

In Bhopal there was a state-level protest meeting in the morning at Gandhi Bhavan and traders sat on a dharna at Roshanara Chowk in the afternoon and burn effigies of Wal-Mart, Bharti and Reliance. A call for Bhopal Bandh was given for 21 August to oust corporate from retail trade.

Similar protests were organized in other cities including Allahabad, Lucknow, Meerut, Bagpat and Sonipat.

With Best Wishes!

Dharmendra Kumar

Director - India FDI Watch
More Stories :
1. Political parties united in seeking cover for small traders - The BJP leader said he is against FDI in organized retail, since it will not bring in know-how, expertise or new technology
http://www.livemint.com/2007/12/13000503/Political-parties-united-in-se.html
2. Big retailers say they offer better deals; opponents raise national policy pitch -
Large cos say stopping them from entering retail will prevent farmers, consumers from getting best prices :
http://www.livemint.com/2007/12/12235629/Big-retailers-say-they-offer-b.html
3. The year of the jholawallah - YEAR-END SPECIAL - Aditi Phadnis / New Delhi December 28, 2007
http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?leftnm=lmnu4&subLeft=2&autono=308927&tab=r
4. For 750 Million... Humans - The unilateral opening up of retail holds few pluses for the country
Krishan Bir Chaudhary
http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20071231&fname=Cover+Story+(F)&sid=4
5. Protest against Reliance Retail outlets -
http://www.insidekerala.com/n/article/MainNews/11189/
Kozhikode: The city on Saturday witnessed fresh round of agitations against the retail outlets owned by the big companies. This time it was against the Reliance Fresh Outlets at Meenchanda and Chakkorathkulam. The activists of the Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi, DYFI and AIYF took out march to the shop. Police prevented the agitators from entering the shops. Traders closed their shops in various parts of the city protesting against the permission given to companies to open retail outlets
6. Reliance Retail kicks off massive recast - Sindhu Bhattacharya
http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=14571710
7. Tatas to up retail presence in south -
http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage_c_online.php?leftnm=10&bKeyFlag=IN&autono=31554
8. Reliance to foray in dairy biz -
http://www.moneycontrol.com/india/news/business/reliance-to-foraydairy-biz/19/37/318994
9. Pharma retailers join hands to take on big chains -
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Services/Retailing/Pharma_retailers_join_hands_to_take_on_big_chains/articleshow/2633250.cms
10. Reliance Retail to acquire 50-70 aeroplanes to ferry farm produce -
http://www.indiaretailbiz.com/blog/2007/12/27/reliance-retail-to-acquire-50-70-aeroplanes-to-ferry-farm-produce/
11. Food processing minister expresses solidarity with organised sector -
http://www.indiaretailing.com/news.asp?id=1451&topic=1
12 . Organised retail's biggest obstacle: Unorganised supply chains -
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/249286.html
13. New-borns - The years new-borns were Reliance, the Tatas and the A V Birla Group which made a foray into the business announcing their huge presence across the country, little realising that with grand plans come the challenges and the turmoil.
Political issues wreaked havoc on food retail expansion plans in the two troubled States, though companies are denying that they have slowed down their growth footprint. "We may not expand in these two States, but we will stick to our target of 2,000 stores by 2010," Bijou Kurien, President and Chief Executive, Lifestyle, Reliance Retail, told presspersons in Bangalore recently.

So if you are thinking of buying a latest and modern 2008 New Year computer, with the latest and one of the best operating system softwares, and giving a gift of - gyan, vigyan, shiksha - please do try to not let your own ignorance or the marketing speak of big computer vendors come in between your children and their Ubuntu PC. Just buy an assembled computer from a local computer dealer with the best hardware specifications, download your free copy of Ubuntu or Kubuntu, burn it on a CD and get cracking. Great computing in 2008 in Indian schools and colleges !!

Some government purchasing departments and school purchasing committees will surely have big dharam sankat because they cannot get commissions on the purchase of proprietary, closed source, computer softwares / OS - so maybe they will be busy trying to debunk Ubuntu, without even letting the students try it out for themselves and decide on their own.

But those who are surely interested in gyan, vigyan, vidya - just go to Ubuntu website and download your own FREE and LEGAL copy of the latest and best operating system to hit Indian computer markets in ages. Download Ubuntu. Burn a 700 MB CD. Install on your hard disk. Very very sweet !!

Ubuntu downloads - http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

Dell began offering consumer systems running Ubuntu in May 2007. Ubuntu’s Gutsy Gibson has been available on laptops since October.

The OEM and laptop testing teams of Dell have been testing the code and hardware drivers for several weeks and are ready to launch the Ubuntu 7.10 Laptop based on the free and open source Ubuntu Linux operating system.

“We believe Ubuntu 7.10 is a solid step forward <span style="font-weight:bold;">for both Linux enthusiasts as well as the mainstream consumer market</span>,” wrote Daniel Judd, Product Group Strategist on the Dell2Dell blog on Tuesday. “The answer is simple. With any operating system, we take gold code and take the time to do extensive testing on our systems to make sure that customers have as few issues as possible.”

Daniel Judd, Dell product manager has cited “cool” 3-D visual effects, easier desktop search for applications and the “ability to quickly switch between users and easily share a system with family members” as key new features of Ubuntu’s 7.10 release. He has also cited two minor Dell developed innovations much in demand by younger generation of laptop users — pre-installation of Flash and improved recovery options — as other significant enhancements for Gutsy Gibbon on Dell consumer PCs.

Judd also one key request was the ability to watch DVD movies from the Dell Linux desktop. “We totally agree and that’s why we now include built-in DVD movie playback with all Ubuntu 7.10 systems.The experience we wanted is simple — when you put a movie in, it plays. It is easy enough for a child and an example of the steps we are taking to make Ubuntu as enjoyable as possible.

Now that the Christmas and New Year shopping season is fast coming on and box retailers are making a grab for Indian upmarket customer pockets, many Indian papa and moms who live in Indian cities like Chennai, Bangalore, Gurgaon, Mumbai are wondering what Christmas gift to buy for their school and college going children.

For some, it is a choice between splurging on a high priced branded computer, with a pre loaded and proprietary operating system from a desi manufacturer like Wipro, Zenith, HCL, or one of the multinationals like Acer, Compaq, Dell, Lenovo. They have been closely watching the Koi Mil Gaya lad showing his super smooth whizzkid antics with an Acer computer when he gets time off from advertising tobacco company ads. But this Greek god like lad does not reveal whether Ubuntu is loaded on the Acer notebook computer, for executive people, short of quality time for their children but having lots of money.

For the school students it is a differnet story. Maybe they are watching if they can run favorite games on a Ubuntu laptop or desktop and if latest Ubuntu version 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon is really as good as some of their more enterprising school mates tell them.

But for some parents, it is going to be an ocassion for spending quality time with the children. School vacations are about to begin and the IT savvy pops and moms, with their mega millions, are thinking that maybe this December they will find some time, to sit down with th children to play some computer games on the Firefox browser. So which Indian computer manufacturers have got their act together and are offering good Ubuntu computers with OS CD ? It seems not many. Most are preferring to give unsuspecting and illiterate customers preloaded copies of proprietary, closed source software rather than a free CD of Ubuntu Linux that people can install themselves.

And of course, not many Indian parents have even heard of Ubuntu Linux or themselves experimented with it. So maybe they will just go out and buy manufactured PC’s for their kids - without Ubuntu.

But the assembled market is beginning to gear up and is offering the more discerning parents, a choice of pre installed Ubuntu / Kubuntu alongwith a free copy of legal Ubuntu operating system software, with loads of latest, modern, office collaboration, and educational software programs, for inquisitive school children and college kids, licensed under GNU GPL and therefore, available for FREE with no risk of piracy.

So when these discerning parents will tie up with good computer hardware assemblers, who are well educated in installing Ubuntu they will be able to really give a gift of a lifetime to their children. And then maybe the pop and the mom will also begin to hesitantly start asking their smart, intelligent children to teach them a little of Ubuntu Linux. And quality time ? Yes, here come the parents and the children, all together, learning to get serious with learning Linux skills.

About time the branded hardware box sellers got a run for their money, rather than locking unsuspecting people into closed source softwares.

Where to download free mera wala Ubuntu from ? - http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

The BSNL Broadband connection costs only Rs 250/- per month and because it is an ADSL connection you can also use the telephone connection on the same phone line. You just need to phone up the BSNL Broadband support and ask them to give you the BSNL LAN details. Usually they are very helpful and will give you : Gateway Address, Primary DNS and Alternate DNS - All very simple - Just note down on piece of paper

The ADSL modem that they give like Sterlite which is a Chinese modem works very well with Ubuntu Linux in Kanpur Lucknow and all of Uttar Pradesh and no separate drivers are required. Just connect the Ethernet and phone lines to the modem. Connect the Ethernet cable to your AMD or Intel motherboard Ethernet port. A green and yellow light comes on if you see the back of your computer or laptop.

What next ? Once your Ubuntu or Kubuntu is installed from your ISO CD go to Applications - Accessories - Terminal and log in as root user. In Ubuntu root user is sudo

Type in the following in your shell - GNOME desktop shell also called GNOME Terminal :

sudo ppoeconf - Then enter the username that BSNL gave you. Next enter the password. Keep all the default settings regarding

sudo pon dsl-provider ( sudo poff dsl-provider - to disconnect Internet connection )

Nowadays most computer dealers will give you a Ubuntu or Kubuntu CD for just Rs 100 and you can install everything yourself. To install printer, keep the printer on while installing your Ubuntu.

Check with : plog ifconfig

Go to any website from your Firefox browser like : http://www.example.com

And hey, your Rs 250/- per month ADSL Broadband connection from BSNL is working at lightning speed in Kanpur Lucknow, Jhansi, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Patna Moradabad. Nothing else to do. Just tune in to an Internet radio station from Ubuntu and enjoy the latest music and video clips.

Happy Ubuntu !! Everything is working fine !! Free legal Ubuntu !! I’m loving it baby !! And yes if somebody next door wants your help, please do help them out as wel. This is the spirit of Ubuntu in Kanpur and Lucknow. If your Ubuntu is working fine, please do spend some time to get your neighbours Ubuntu working also. No need to wait for IIT engineers. They will never come to you.

Canonical has announced that every student in Macedonia will be using an Ubuntu powered computer / workstation. This announcement has tremendous significance for Indian school children as well who are wondering why they cannot have Ubuntu powered computers and laptops.
----------------------
http://www.ubuntu.com/news/macedonia-school-computers
Every Macedonian Student to Use Ubuntu-Powered Computer Workstations

Popular Linux Distribution To Appear On More than 180,000 Classroom Desktops Nationwide

LONDON, November 20th, 2007 - The Macedonia Ministry of Education and Science will deploy more than 180,000 workstations running Canonical’s Edubuntu 7.04 as part of its "Computer for Every Child" project.

The Macedonia "Computer for Every Child" project is one of the largest known thin client and desktop Linux deployments ever undertaken. Half of elementary and secondary Macedonia students attend school in the morning, and half attend in the afternoon, so 180,000 workstations will allow for one classroom computing device per student for the entire Republic's public school population. The first 7000 computers pre-installed with Ubuntu were shipped on September 4th 2007

Ubuntu is the award-winning Linux distribution for the desktop, laptop, thin client and server which brings together the best of open source software every six months. It is free, community-developed and contains all of the necessary applications to be up and running immediately, from web browser to instant messaging. It also comes with English and Macedonian language packs.

"The Computer for Every Child initiative is the largest and most important education project undertaken in the 15-year history of the Republic of Macedonia," said Ivo Ivanovski, Macedonia's Minister for the Information Society. "By selecting Ubuntu as the operating system for all of our classroom virtual PCs, our education system can provide computer-based education for all school children within the limited financial and infrastructural confines that most institutions face today."

"Macedonia is showing tremendous vision by deciding its own destiny in choosing how its children will learn through computing – said Mark Shuttleworth, founder of the Ubuntu project. "By choosing Ubuntu which is free to modify, use and redistribute it turns students into participants in Information Technology and not simply consumers of it.

The Ubuntu operating system will run on 160,000 virtual PC terminals and 20,000 PCs (which each also support a student on the attached monitor) supplied by NComputing and procured and installed by The Haier Company, a diversified manufacturer and PC maker based in China.

The project will enable a range of innovative educational programs, including interactive web-based classes in which specialized experts teach lessons in such areas as mathematics, biology, chemistry and physics to multiple schools and classrooms around the country.
About Canonical and Ubuntu

Canonical, the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu, is headquartered in Europe and is committed to the development, distribution and support of open source software products and communities. World-class 24x7 commercial support for Ubuntu is available through Canonical's global support team and partners.

Since its launch in October 2004 Ubuntu has become one of the most highly regarded Linux distributions with millions of users around the world. Ubuntu will always be free to download, free to use and free to distribute to others. With these goals in mind, Ubuntu aims to be the most widely used Linux system, and is the center of a global open source software ecosystem.

Download Ubuntu from www.ubuntu.com/download. To learn about commercial support for Ubuntu, Kubuntu and Edubuntu, please see www.canonical.com/support. For more information visit www.canonical.com or www.ubuntu.com

And then if you ask them one simple question as to why - if when a user in an Indian village wants to download Ubuntu Linux from an Indian server there is no Indian server offering free downloads - they just go suddenly quiet.
How long is this state expected to last ?
Just try going to the Ubuntu Linux download page and see (forget the world) - just check out which Asian countries have servers from which common people can download Ubuntu Linux from.
You will be amazed that all these high flying science and technology bureaucrats of India have not even found the time or the resources to offer a server for simple downloads.
And do you wonder what countries figure there ?
Well certainly not the so called big boss of IT - India. Nor the IT capitalists who profess to be socialists at heart.
There is no NASSCOM there. No IIT. No IIIT. No IIM
Then who is there ? -
Surprise of surprises - China, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Vietnam.
No Indian servers at all from any of the high flying prestigious IT computing hubs sprinkled all over India.
Is this issue symptomatic about ills and achievements of Indian Science and Technology, some fifty years after the dreams of public sector and science and technology revolution in India ?

The BSNL Broadband connection costs only Rs 250/- per month and because it is an ADSL connection you can also use the telephone connection on the same phone line. You just need to phone up the BSNL Broadband support and ask them to give you the BSNL LAN details. Usually the BSNL Broadband support staff are very helpful and will give you : Gateway Address, Primary DNS and Alternate DNS - All very simple - Just note down on piece of paper
The ADSL modem that BSNL gives - like Sterlite which is a Chinese modem works very well with Ubuntu Linux in Kanpur Lucknow and all of Uttar Pradesh and no separate drivers are required. Just connect the Ethernet and phone lines to the modem. Connect the Ethernet cable to your AMD or Intel motherboard Ethernet port. A green and yellow light comes on if you see the back of your computer or laptop.

What next ? Once your Ubuntu or Kubuntu is installed from your ISO CD go to Applications - Accessories - Terminal and log in as root user. In Ubuntu root user is sudo

Type in the following in your shell - GNOME desktop shell also called GNOME Terminal :

sudo ppoeconf - Then enter the username that BSNL gave you. Next enter the password. Keep all the default settings :

$: sudo pon dsl-provider

( sudo poff dsl-provider - to disconnect Internet connection ) Next time when you switch on your computer with Ubuntu, the Internet connection will already be started and waiting for you. No need to touch the shell again.

Nowadays most computer dealers will give you a Ubuntu or Kubuntu CD for just Rs 100 and you can install everything yourself. To install printer, keep the printer on while installing your Ubuntu.

In case of any problem - Check your BSNL broadband Internet connection with :

$: sudo plog ifconfig

Try ping command if required but usually not required. Go to any website from your Firefox browser like : http://www.example.com from Applications - Internet

I know some people get very confused by the Linux Shell Commands. But guys one day you did learn to speak free and legal English didn't you ?

And hey, your Rs 250/- per month ADSL Broadband connection from BSNL is working at lightning speed in Kanpur Lucknow, Jhansi, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Patna Moradabad. Nothing else to do. Go and have a cup of tea and some samosas. Just tune in to an Internet radio station from your Ubuntu OS and enjoy the latest music and video clips.

Hello Jhumritalayia ...main aa gaya ... Remember Munnabhai when he starts getting phone calls from the top medical colleges of Mumbai ? Yes that's the spirit. Ah, now you are laughing like Boman Irani .. but wait dont do so when you are doing an operation on someone in your hospital.

Happy Ubuntu !! Everything is working fine !! Free legal Ubuntu !! I'm loving it baby !! And yes if somebody next door wants your help, please please do help them out as well. This is the spirit of Ubuntu in Kanpur and Lucknow. If your Ubuntu is working fine, as it should, please do spend some time to get your neighbours Ubuntu working also on their desktop or laptop. No need to wait for posh IIT engineers or overpaid research engineers. They will never come to you.

Naturally these assembled computer dealers associations in Kanpur and Lucknow feel that first they have to learn Ubuntu themselves - and then - they have to teach their staff how to install Ubuntu or Kubuntu in one hour. So it seems that school children will now have to teach these outdated computer dealers and hardware box vendors the fine points of Ubuntu Linux installation on laptops and desktops. One wonders when the the computer assemblers will start giving themselves a crash course in Ubuntu and Linux so that they can install it on their customer computers in just one hour.

But go and see the computers of children in Kanpur and Lucknow from schools such as Methodist, Jaipuria DPS, Christ Church - these kids know much more about the ease of Ubuntu installations than these hardware vendors - many of whom do not even have free CD to give to the customer just in case the customer tells them just to give them a price for the hardware box. For after all if children can install Ubuntu from CD by themselves, so can customers. And then maybe finally the staff of the hardware vendors will also learn how to install Ubuntu.

Many children of course prefer Kubuntu Desktop version because the KDE desktop is better to look at for those who only know how to send emails and chat on the Internet.

And last, the computer dealers will themselves shyly one afternoon decide to learn it themselves.

Where to download Ubuntu from ? http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

Naturally these assembled computer dealers associations in Kanpur and Lucknow feel that first they have to learn Ubuntu themselves - and then - they have to teach their staff how to install Ubuntu or Kubuntu in one hour. So it seems that school children will now have to teach these outdated computer dealers and hardware box vendors the fine points of Ubuntu Linux installation on laptops and desktops. One wonders when the the computer assemblers will start giving themselves a crash course in Ubuntu and Linux so that they can install it on their customer computers in just one hour.

But go and see the computers of children in Kanpur and Lucknow from schools such as Methodist, Jaipuria DPS, Christ Church - these kids know much more about the ease of Ubuntu installations than these hardware vendors - many of whom do not even have free CD to give to the customer just in case the customer tells them just to give them a price for the hardware box. For after all if children can install Ubuntu from CD by themselves, so can customers. And then maybe finally the staff of the hardware vendors will also learn how to install Ubuntu.

Many children of course prefer Kubuntu Desktop version because the KDE desktop is better to look at for those who only know how to send emails and chat on the Internet.

And last, the computer dealers will themselves shyly one afternoon decide to learn it themselves.

Where to download Ubuntu from ? http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download