National Association of Street Vendors (NASVI) has called for a nationwide protest on September 19 to protest government’s decision to allow 51% Foreign Direct Investment in retail.
A large number of street vendors under the banner of NASVI would hold demonstration at Parliament Street at 12 PM on September 19.
NASVI requests all its well wishers to join the protest.
Here is the full statement by National Association of Street Vendors:
As you all know that the central government has finally ignored and dishonoured the voices of the people of the country, especially the street vendors and small retailers and has decided to allow FDI in retail.
Last year when we had come out on the streets against FDI and many political parties and state governments had also opposed the move to allow the FDI, the government was forced to retreat. But, now, it has succumbed to the pressure of foreign multinational companies.
National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) strongly opposes the central government’s decision to allow FDI in retail trade and calls upon the street vendors and their organizations to protest the government’s move on streets on 19 September across the country.
We strongly believe that the FDI infiltration into retail sector would badly impact the livelihood of vendors and small retailers and the massive contribution of vendors and retailers to city, state and national economies would get drastically down. Moreover, the FDI would ruin the retail and help the realty sector as the move would create demand of mall and real estate developers for retail space.”
It is really surprising that at one level the UPA government is introducing the Bill to protect livelihood of street vendors, but on the other allowing multinational retail giants to further threaten the livelihood of vendors.
The government is also befooling the people of the country by saying that the farmers and the consumers would get benefitted.
In reality, small farmers and consumers would suffer immensely and a new class of middlemen patronized by Wal-Mart type companies would emerge. The inflation would not come down, prices of essential goods would further escalate and incidence of labour rights violation would be regular.
NASVI calls upon you all to organize protest in your city on 19 September, 2012 with the main slogan:
Stop Attacking Livelihood of Street Vendors
Stop FDI in Retail