Skip to main content

Hooplah over FDI in retail

Off late, everyone is jumping up and down on FDI in retail and the problems it will solve (As if it is the ultimate panacea of all the problems in India). Frankly it is boring to the point of a piss off. It now seems that everyone in the nation is advocating this FDI as if they are the experts on economic affairs or trade affairs. Well, if we have such a dumb economist of a Prime Minister, why can't we brag something about economics?
But the advantages being pointed out, are far too exaggerated and  cheesy. It is like you are going to thrust them down my throat. I now even expect to read yet another article, plea in a newspaper that may write that Indians would stop raping their woman if they get more retail stores. Seriously, why all this fuss for a grocery store man?

I like reforms, I like a free economy, I like agriculture. I love shopping. But all this going on in the media and elsewhere is pure sham. For more than 60 years Indians could do nothing for their farmers, except pumping copious amounts of insecticides and chemicals (anyone remember green revolution?) and now it seems all Indians have come to this drastic conclusion that a foreign fellow will invest 51% in the karyana store and all problems shall be resolved. Dumb. Why then we wanted independence from the Britishers? East India Company was 100% FDI. It introduced the concept of cash crops in India and modernized our irrigation systems. Should it be that Mr. Prime Minister, calls them back because the country thinks that foreigners will be better off in handling our agriculture crisis?

Coming to the point on jobs. It is being bragged around that hundreds of jobs will be created. But then, if these companies are so efficient, will they be employing a massive workforce or a lean mean team of people. If we are so worried about our employment figures, why not check our ever exploding population? A topic so untouched and d-reserved out of public debates. Or is it again, that you need a foreigner to teach you, a country of billion plus people, how to manage your population.

Another segment of society wants more retail options. I support that. But has it ever occurred to anyone that we don't have enough electricity to educate our children or give uninterrupted power supply to our factories, from where will the energy come to power the AC's of the mammoth stores that have to be come up. Are we really ready for the same?

Govt. allows 100% FDI in cold storage business. If no wastage of food products could be controlled by that measure, how would 51% in retail cure the problem?

Point again is, grow up. If you really want to have a reform, show the spine and get the job done. Whimpers don't help in running a country.




Comments

Also read

Debate : Do the ends justify the means...

Note : Give it all a fair thought before you jot down... Flaming and religion-bashing will not be tolerated. Your participation is gladly appreciated. I dunno if you folks remember this incident; a couple of yrs back, the UPSC exam had a question where the emainee had to assert his views on *revolutionary terrorism* initiated by Bhagat Singh. As is typical of the government, hue and cry was not far behind... Anyway, let us look at some facts -   Bhagat Singh was an atheist, considered to be one of the earliest Marxist in India and in line with hi thinking, he renamed the Hindustan Republican Party and called it the Hindustan Socialist Revolutionary Party. Bhagat Finally, awaiting his own execution for the murder of Saunders, Bhagat Singh at the young age of 24 studied Marxism thoroughly and wrote a profound pamphlet “Why I am an Atheist.” which is an ideological statement in itself. The circumstances of his death and execution are worth recounting. Although, Bhagat Singh had a...

Does India need communal parties?

I think, it was Tan's post on this blog itself, Republic Day Event, where this question was raised. My answer. YES. we need communal parties even in Independent, Secular India. Now let me take you, back to events before 1947. When India was a colony of the British Empire. The congress party, in its attempt to gain momentum for the independence movement, heavily used Hinduism, an example of which is the famous Ganesh Utsav held in Mumbai every year. Who complains? No one. But at that time, due to various policies of the congress, Muslims started feeling alienated. Jinnah, in these times, got stubborn over the need of Pakistan and he did find a lot of supporters. Congress, up till late 1940's never got bothered by it. And why should we? Who complains? No one. But there were repercussions. The way people were butchered and slaughtered during that brief time when India got partitioned, was even worse than a civil war scenario. All in the name of religion. And there indeed was cr...

Inside Congress by Ronald Kessler: power, perks, and peril on Capitol Hill

This critical review of Inside Congress by Ronald Kessler reveals the shocking truth behind Capitol Hill's glitzy surface. Featuring real quotes, scandals, and systemic corruption, this article dissects the book’s revelations with historical, social, and political context. Get ready to question everything you thought you knew about America’s lawmakers. What is ‘Inside Congress’ about? Reading Inside Congress felt like sneaking into a backstage political theatre—only to realise that the actors were drunk, corrupt, and having affairs with the ushers. Ronald Kessler doesn’t just pull the curtain back on Congress—he rips it off, throws it on the floor, and sets it on fire. At its core, the book is a catalogue of misconduct, but it’s more than that. It’s a raw, unnerving look at a system so infected by self-interest and sleaze that the word “democracy” starts to feel like a punchline. The book spans sexual escapades, financial corruption, and outright betrayal of public trust. But th...