Traders launch 90-day Rath Yatra protesting FDI in retail

Protesting against the proposed Walmart Flipkart deal and foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) on Saturday launched a 90-day march from New Delhi’s Red Fort.

The Sampoorna Kranti Rath Yatra will culminate in a rally on December 16 at the Ramlila Ground in New Delhi, a CAIT release informed on Saturday.

CAIT secretary general Praveen Khandelwal said that the yatra would be a door to door campaign which would cover 22,000 kilometres in 28 states, including 120 cities and 500 towns.

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He informed that the CAIT had also called for a “Bharat Trade Bandh” on September 28 to protest against the Walmart-Flipkart deal and FDI in retail.

Nearly seven crore establishments are expected to down shutters during the September 28 bandh, he claimed.

Beside FDI in retail, the rath yatra launched on Saturday will highlight core issues like the need for simplification of GST, robust and transparent e-commerce policy, adoption and acceptance of digital payments, easy access to finance to small businesses through MUDRA Yojana, he said.

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The march will also stress on the need for a national policy for retail trade and early introduction of Consumer Protection Act among others, he added.

Local issues like sealing in Delhi and ban on plastics in Maharashtra and other states will also be raised en route, the CAIT secretary general said.

Khandelwal said that after Walmart, firms like Amazon and Alibaba were also trying to enter similar deals.