FDI in retail

The following is a para from the editorial page of The Hindu. The author is clearly against the proposition of Foreign Direct Investment(FDI) in retail (which would have meant the entry of retail giants like WALMART into the Indian market).

Here is what the author had to say:

This argument however is dangerously violative of a humane discourse. It is analogous to saying that since the processing of minerals will bring benefits, by way of availability of manufactured goods, to some sections of society, the distress caused to the tribal population which has to be uprooted for obtaining the minerals should be of no concern. And it is exactly identical to the argument put forward in the colonial context that since imported manufactured goods were of superior quality and benefited the consumers (who would not have bought them otherwise), among whom were numerous peasants, the fact that they destroyed the livelihoods of millions of artisans and weavers, should not be held against the policy that freely allowed such imports. In fact the argument for FDI in retail is a precise recreation of the discourse of colonialism.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/article2750054.ece




Yes..yes...I see your point...











And I completely disagree with this person and his analogy.

In every metro in India, as we all know, we have the:
-Elite
-Middle class (futher classified as upper and lower middle class)
-Labour class

The lower middle class and the labour class make up for the major portion of the population.

I do not see these folks roaming the aisles of the existing (few) retail stores around.

I am not saying that the entry of FDI into India would not create a new set of issues or complications. What change doesn't?




Can people not adapt to change?