Commerce ministry seeks Law ministry’s opinion on state’s reversal of FDI decision

19 Feb 2014 Evaluate

The central government permission for 51 percent FDI in multi-brand retailing in September 2012, leaving its implementation to the states is now going a legal way, with the Commerce and Industry Ministry asking the Law Ministry for its opinion on whether the Delhi and Rajasthan governments can reverse decisions to allow foreign retailers to start supermarket chains.

The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion in his communication sent to Law Ministry has sought opinion on whether state governments can opt out of the foreign direct investment policy after first deciding to implement it. Rajasthan and Delhi, where the state governments changed after the assembly elections in November-December, decided to scrap the policy allowing FDI in multi-brand retailing last month and communicated their decisions to the Centre. Twelve states, mostly Congress-led, had agreed to allow global retailers to open supermarket chains under the policy.

Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma had termed the Delhi government’s decision to disallow FDI in multi-brand retailing as "abrupt, irresponsible and ill-considered," and had said that the Centre had formulated the policy after wide consultations with all stakeholders, including farmer unions, MSMEs and State governments.

Despite much hype the FDI in multi-brand retail failed to evoke much response from global retailers and so far, only UK-based Tesco's proposal to invest in the sector has been approved by the Centre.

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