Public Statement, 4 June 2018

The US based Multinational Corporation (MNC) Walmart’s acquisition of Flipkart undermines India’s economic and digital sovereignty and the livelihood of millions in India. If the $ 16 billion deal goes through, two US companies (the other being Amazon) will dominate India’s e-retail sector. They will also own India’s key consumer and other economic data, making them our digital overlords, joining the ranks of Google and Facebook.

The acquisition of the largest e-commerce firm promoted by Indian entrepreneurs is the latest step in a series of developments aimed at circumventing the existing cap on FDI in multi-brand retail by permitting foreign-owned online retail in India, and developing a digital stranglehold by foreign companies over India’s consumer goods value chains.

This process saw the gradual take-over of majority stake in the formerly Indian-owned Flipkart, the entry of the world’s largest e-retailer Amazon, and now the take-over of Flipkart by Walmart. Jack Ma, head of China’s Alibaba, says all e-commerce companies now have integrated online and offline strategies, consolidating operations towards one ‘new retail’. This is also evidenced by recent moves in the US by Walmart to enter e-retail and by Amazon to move into brick-and-mortar retail. It should therefore be clear to everyone that allowing FDI in e-retail in India is but a back-door entry of foreign players into multi-brand retail. Ironically, the same political party, which a decade ago strongly opposed the entry of Walmart into India, is now happy to welcome its far more powerful, digitally-enabled avatar.

India’s domestic digital retail industry will of course suffer by the domination of these two US MNCs. But worst affected will be small brick-and-mortar retail stores accounting for over 90% of the Indian retail sector,  SME manufacturers, small delivery companies and suppliers of goods including farmers whose margins will be ruthlessly squeezed, with their behaviour digitally-controlled. Walmart is well-known for its global supply chain, especially of cheap goods from China, which means local manufacturers and suppliers will suffer deep hits.

This is similar to what would happen with FDI in brick-and-mortar multi-brand retail. It will, in fact, be worse, as digitally-enabled ‘new retail’ becomes omnipresent and omnipotent. The concentration of economic power with the two US MNCs, now constituting a potential duopoly in India, will render them too powerful to be meaningfully regulated. In the US, the trail of destruction of small stores, local businesses, small manufacturers and countless workers left behind by Walmart and other giant retailers is well documented, and the EU has also witnessed the same. ‘New retail’ seeks to own and control key data of all trading activity across sectors resulting in unassailable power. National policy or regulatory remits over them would then be as ineffective as they currently are over Google or Facebook.  Manufacturers, suppliers and traders, producers and service providers, all become enslaved to digitally controlled platforms, working as per their parameters, but denied any rights or benefits. In this context, it is critical that the Competition Commission of India (CCI) examine the issue of monopolistic trade practices vis-a-vis this deal.

It is argued that Walmart and other retail giants will generate employment, but of what kind? Walmart has a long history of busting trade unions, violating the right to collective bargaining, paying poverty wages and disregarding social security laws. In e-commerce, work will also be outsourced to couriers and other service providers, making it a long stretch to prove that they are workers. Further, even if Walmart and Amazon employ a few thousand more, they are unlikely to neutralise the massive employment loss associated with the collapse of both the formal and informal retail sector. In this business model, whether in retail or in so-called ‘aggregators’ such as Uber, the giant corporations provide temporary benefits to consumers, and hence appearing to be on their side, by squeezing everybody in between including small producers and the vast majority of workers in the supply chain.

Digitalisation will soon be central to a wide range of economic activities, many of these being controlled by MNCs. A sovereign nation must be able to regulate e-commerce companies, making them comply with policies that uphold public interest, and ensuring that all economic actors get their fair share. This will be next to impossible with giant corporations operating from abroad and storing all their data overseas. There is an urgent need to reverse the entry of foreign e-commerce companies and their take-over of Indian entities, and to evolve effective regulations to govern the operations of domestic entities and protect the interests of the different players involved.

Digital companies such as Google and Facebook frequently refuse government or court orders for content take-down  asserting that their data, algorithms and platforms operate from the US, and are subject to the latter’s laws. It will not be very different for data and Artificial Intelligence powering e-commerce platforms. This is what makes it extremely difficult to nationally regulate global digital companies, including e-commerce ones, and the reason that digital platforms in key sectors, including on-line retail, should be domestically owned.

After trailing behind India in software technologies till a decade back, China is now a global leader in digital technologies. China has been able to leverage its growing software capability because it has incubated domestically-owned digital e-commerce systems such as Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent, which also store their data locally.

The Government is seemingly blind to, or does not care about, the extra-ordinary dangers that the country would face if India’s e-commerce ecosystems are foreign-owned and controlled. Not just China, but the US and EU have also begun to disallow foreign takeovers of digital companies considered of strategic or economic importance. If the growing tendency of foreign control of digital platforms in key sectors is not resisted and reversed, India runs the danger of what has been called digital colonization.

Citizens of India should be deeply concerned about the ongoing developments in the e-commerce and especially the online retail space, the latest of which is the Walmart-Flipkart deal. We the undersigned, call for an urgent national debate on this important issue of economic independence and digital sovereignty, affecting the interests of many millions of Indians in different walks of life from workers to farmers, small shopkeepers and suppliers, manufacturers and traders, and a host of service providers, apart from potentially compromising consumption data of hundreds of millions of Indians.

Pending a national debate involving all the affected constituencies, and an informed collective decision based on it, we further demand that the Government of India halts Walmart’s takeover of Flipkart, upholds the policy of restricting FDI in multi-brand retail, and draws up a policy in consonance with this for online retail. We also seek a comprehensive policy on leveraging the strategic value of India’s data for the interest of India and her people, and on domestic ownership and regulation of digital platforms in key sectors.

 

Endorsed by:

 

Organisations/ Networks

 

Andhra Pradesh Vyavasaya Vruthidarula Union ( APVVU)

Adivasi Navjeewan Gathan Nayoti Aagua (ANGNA)

Ahilya Chamber Commerce & Industry, Indore, Madhya Pradesh

All Goa FMCG & Telecom Distributors Association (AGFTDA)

All India Bank Officers Confederation (AIBOC)

All India Central Council Of Trade Unions (AICCTU)

All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF)

All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS)

All India Online Vendors Association

All India People’s Forum (AIPF)

All India People’s Science Network (AIPSN)

All India Public Sector and Central Government Officers Confederation

All India Retailers Federation, Jammu & Kashmir

All India Women Hawkers Federation

All Tripura Merchants Association

Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA)

Alternative Law Forum (ALF), Karnataka

Anti Free Trade Agreement Committee

Badayl India

Banabasi Vikash Parishad, Odisha

Bengaluru Jilla Beedhi Vyapari Sanghatanegala Okkuta, Bengaluru

Bhai Sudam Deshmukh Shikshan Santha, Nagpur

Bhartiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal

Bihar Rajya Khadyann Vyasai Sangh, Patna, Bihar

Campaign Against Fabricated Cases (CAFC), Odisha

Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA)

Centre for Workers Education, New Delhi

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU)

Chamber of Associations of Maharashtra Industry and Trade (CAMIT)

Chandigarh Beopar Mandal, Chandigarh

Chemical Merchants Association, Delhi

Chhattisgarh Chamber of Commerce & Industries

Civil Society Forum On Human Rights, Bhubaneswar

Communist Party of India (Marxist – Leninist) CPI(ML)

Coorg Organisation For Rural Development, Karnataka (CORD)

Darbar Sahitya Sansad

Delhi Grain Merchants  Association

Delhi Hawkers Welfare Association

Delhi Science Forum (DSF)

Distributors Stockists Association, Hyderabad, Telangana

Empower India

Environment Support Group (ESG), Karnataka

Federation of Madras Merchants and Manufacturers Association, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Federation of Traders Organisations of West Bengal

Feminist Learning Partnerships

Focus on the Global South

Food First Information and Action Network (FIAN), West Bengal

Forum against Free Trade Agreements

Forum Against oppression of Women, Bombay

Forum for IT Employees (FITE), Tamil Nadu and Karnataka

Free Software Movement, Karnataka

Free Software Movement of India (FSMI)

Gram Bharati Samiti (GBS), Jaipur

Haryana Vyapar Mandal, Panipat, Haryana

Hawkers Joint Action Committee

Hazards Centre, New Delhi

Himachal State Vyapar Mandal, Una, Himachal Pradesh

Holistic Approach for Peoples Empowerment (HOPE), Puducherry

IT For Change

India FDI Watch

Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF)

Indian Coordination Committee of Farmers movement (ICCFM)

Jamnagar Veopari Mahamandal, Jamnagar, Gujarat

Jan Abhiyan Sanstha, Himachal Pradesh

Jharkhand Small & Tiny Industries Association, Baidyanath, Jharkhand

Karaavali Karnataka Janaabhivriddhi Vedike, Mangalore

Karshaka Munnettam

Kerala Swatantra Matysa Thozhilali Federation (KSMTF)

Kerala Vyapari Vyavasai Ekopana Samithi, Calicut, Kerala

Kisan Morcha, Bikaner

Knowledge Commons

Krityanand UNESCO Club, Jharkhand

LABIA – A Queer Feminist LBT Collective, Mumbai

Malanad Karshaka Raksha Samithi, Kerala

Malda Merchants Chamber of Commerce, Malda, West Bengal

Malwa Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Indore, Madhya Pradesh

Mewat Shiksha Vikas Samiti, Alwar

NAW- National Alliance of Women

Nadi Ghati Morcha, Chhattisgarh

National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM)

National Coalition for Education

National Fish Workers Forum (NFF)

National Hawker Federation

National Working Group on Patent Laws and WTO- (NWGPL)

Nav Jagriti Collective, New Delhi

New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI)

Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti, Odisha

Prachi Surakshya Samiti, Odisha

Prantiya Udyog Vyapar Pratinidhi Mandal, Haldwani, Uttarakhand

Promotion Sustainable Development, India

Public Services International, India

Punjab Distributors Association

Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal

Rajasthan Khadya Pradarth Yyapar Mahasangh

Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh

Shaheed Bhagat Singh Vichar Manch, Bihar

Small Business Congress

Swadeshi Andolan

Tamilnadu Vanigarsangalin Peravai

The Grains Rice & Oils Merchants Association, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra

The Indian Chamber of Commerce, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh

The Poona Merchants chamber, Pune, Maharashtra

Toxics Watch Alliance

Universal Versatile Society

Upekshit Shikshan Vikas Pratishtan, Maharashtra

Uttar Bihar Vanijya & Udyog Parishad, Muzaffarpur, Bihar

Uttar Pradesh Udyog Vyapar Mandal, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh

Vidarbha Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Akola, Maharashtra

 

Individuals

Abha Bhaiya, Jagori Rural Charitable Trust

Abhishek Joshi

Achin Vanaik,  Retired Professor, Delhi University

Adv. Aradhna Bhargava, Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, Madhya Pradesh

Amarjit Kahlon

Amit Kumar, National Alliance of Peoples Movements (NAPM), Delhi

Amitava Mitra, NAPM,West Bengal

Anamitra Roychowdhury, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi

Anand Mazgaonkar, Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti, Gujarat

Anil Chaudhary, Popular Education & Action Centre (PEACE)

Anjali Bharadwaj, National Campaign for People’s Right to Information (NCPRI)

Arul Doss, NAPM, Tamil Nadu

Aruna Rodrigues, Sunray Harvesters

Aruna Roy, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS)

Arundhati Dhuru, NAPM, Uttar Pradesh

Ashish Ranjan, Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan

Ashok Verma, NAPM, Jharkhand

Basant Kumar Hetamsari, NAPM, Jharkhand

Benny Kuruvilla, Transnational Institute

Bhupender Singh Rawat, Jan SangharshVahini

Bilal Khan, Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan, Mumbai

Biswajit Dhar, Professor,Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi

C.P. Chandrasekhar, Professor,Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi

C.R. Neelakandan NAPM, Kerala

Chakravarthi Raghavan, Emeritus, South-North Development Monitor

Chandan Kumar, Rashtriya Hamal Panchayat

Cynthia Stephen, Independent Journalist and Development Policy Analyst

Dayamani Barla, Aadivasi-MoolnivasiAstivtva Raksha Samiti

Debal Deb, Odisha

Dinesh Abrol, Professor, Institute for Studies in Industrial Development (ISID), Delhi

Dr Binayak Sen, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL)

Dr. Smitha Francis, Institute For Studies In Industrial Development

Dr. Sunilam, Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, Madhya Pradesh

Dr.T.Swaminathan, Professor (Retd), Indian Institute of Technology, Madras

Eita Jyoti Bandyopadhyay, Indian Institute Of Science Education And Research (IISER ), Mohali

Eric Pinto, Green Brigade Goa

Faisal Khan, Khudai Khidmatgar

Gabriele Dietrich, Penn UrimayIyakkam, Madurai

Gautam Bandopadhyay, Nadi Ghati Morcha, Chhattisgarh

Geetha Ramakrishnan, Unorganised Sector Workers Federation

Geetha Nambisan

Guruwant Singh, NAPM, Punjab

Gurveen Kaur, Centre for Learning, Secunderabad

Himshi Singh, NAPM, Delhi

J S Walia, NAPM, Haryana

Jabar Singh, NAPM, Uttarakhand

Jayati Ghosh, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi

John Peruvanthanam, NAPM, Kerala

K.P.Sasi, Film maker

Kailash Meena, NAPM, Rajasthan

Kaladas Dahariya, RELAA and NAPM, Chhattisgarh

Kamal Nayan Kabra, Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi

Kamayani Bali Mahabal

Kamayani Swami, Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan

Kavita Srivastava, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL)

Kavitha Kuruganti, Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA)

Krishnakant, Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti, Gujarat

Lingraj Azad, Samajwadi Jan Parishad & Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti, Odisha

Madhuresh Kumar, NAPM, Delhi

Mahendra Yadav, Kosi Navnirman Manch

Mahendra, NAPM, Uttar Pradesh

Maj Gen S.G.Vombatkere, (NAPM) & People’s Union For Civil Liberties (PUCL)

Manesh Gupta, NAPM, Uttar Pradesh

Medha Patkar, Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA)

Meera Sanghamitra, NAPM, Telangana – Andhra Pradesh

Melton Paka Tauetia, Fusialofa

Mritiunjoy Mohanty, IIM Calcutta

Mini Mathew

Nanhu Prasad, NAPM, Delhi

Nikhil Dey, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS)

Niranjan Bharathi

P.Chennaiah, Andhra Pradesh Vyavasaya Vruthidarula Union (APVVU)

Pamela Philipose, Ombudsperson, The Wire.in

Panchali Ray,  Jadavpur University

Ponniah Rajamanickam

Prabir Purkayastha, Chief Editor, Newsclick

Pradeep Esteves, Context India

Prafulla Samantara, Lok Shakti Abhiyan

Prasad Bagwe, Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan, Mumbai

Pravin Nadkar

Prof. Kusumam Joseph, NAPM, Kerala

Purushan Eloor, NAPM, Kerala

R. Padmini

Rahul De, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore

Rajendra Ravi, NAPM), Delhi

Rajesh Serupally, NAPM, Telangana – Andhra Pradesh

Rajinder Chaudhary, Former professor, M.D.University

Ramakrishnam Raju, United Forum for RTI NAPM

Rekha Pappu, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Hyderabad

Richa Singh, Sangatin

Rita Manchanda

Ritu Dewan

Rohit Prajapati, Gujarat

S. Krishnaswamy, All India People’s Science Network(AIPSN)

Samar Bagchi, NAPM,West Bengal

Samson Nakkala, Gram Abhyudaya Mandali (GRAM)

Sandeep Pandey, Socialist Party

Sarang Haritha, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore

Satyaki Roy, Institute For Studies In Industrial Development

Sejal Dave

Shahida Murtaza

Shakun Doundiyakhed, SIEDS Bangalore

Shankar Singh Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS),

Sharath Chelloor, NAPM, Kerala

Shinu Varkey, Assistant Professor, St Berchmans College

Sister Celia, Domestic Workers Union

Sister Dorothy, NAPM, Bihar

Sudeshna Sengupta, Working Peoples Charter

Suhas Kolhekar, Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan, Mumbai, Maharashtra

Sujata Patel, Indian Institute of Advanced Study

Sukla Sen, Mumbai

Suma Josson, Filmmaker, Mumbai

Sunita Rani, Domestic Workers Union

Suniti SR, Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan, Maharashtra

Suresh George, NAPM, Kerala

Suresh Rathor, NAPM, Uttar Pradesh

Swarupa Rani, Bhubaneswar

Swati Desai, Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti, Gujarat

Ujjawal Chaubey, NAPM, Bihar

Uma, NAPM, Delhi

Uma V Chandru

V D Majeendran, NAPM, Kerala

Vijay Prashad,  LeftWord Books

Vilayodi Venugopal, NAPM, Kerala

Vimal Bhai, Matu Jan Sangathan

Vivek Monteiro, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Maharastra

Xavier Dias, Khaan Kaneej Aur Adhikar