DELICENSING OF RETAIL SECTOR
Govt. is allowing big multinational and corporate sector enter into big way in retail sector. When the govt. is started liberalizing our economy internally, while more and more Licence-Inspector-Permit raj is imposed in all our domestic sector especially small scale sector and retail sector. To save the millions of retail sector and small scale industries, the govt. need to remove the Licencing regime and make complete tax free so that the retail and small scale sector can compete with multinational and big corporate stores. The retail sector should demand for abolition of all kind of licencing regime like Shop and Establishment Act, all taxes including Sales tax and Professional Tax etc. to equip themselves for competing with big retail chain.
No political parties focusing and ready to take up the real issues of millions of people engaged in retail sector. They are interested to make benefit for the corporate and multinational only. The time has come to say enough is enough. Please leave the retail sector alone from the Licensing regime so that it can survive better survive in the long run. The govt. control on retail sector must go considering the fact that big retail chain stores carve out the small retail market.
Nowadays the Municipal Corporation conducting raid on small retail shops on various issues like for not closing down once in a week, timing, providing employment and other issues etc. The fact of the matter is that after agriculture, the second comes retail sector providing and generating more employment through self employment and employing others especially the poor sector who lacks necessary qualification and experience (say some time illiterate) in this sector. Apart from this more than 3 to 4 fold like loading, unloading, transportation, production, distribution, marketing and many other area involving more people depend on this sector. When big companies enter into this sector, only a section of class of people will benefit. The main criteria for recruitment and selection is based upon the minimum qualification, skill etc. Number of employable persons will be less considering the qualification in retail sector. In the retail sector most of the self employed persons is illiterate, semi literate say non-matric. Hence these big corporates tall claim of providing employment to all is a political gimmick.
UPA govt. under Manmohan Singh as PM continuously neglecting this area while corporate and multinational getting large concession. He is making external liberalization than internal liberalization. When our economy opened up in 1992 and externally liberalized our economy, no internal liberalization took place till today especially for small scale sector. Still the govt. have no courage and will to delicencing this sector. Small scale and retail sector are ready to face the challenges created by multiplexes and big retain chains across the country, if the govt. delicensing this sector. Every elected govt. keeping double standard while dealing with retail and small scale sector by imposing more and more licence raj. It need to put and end once and for all. The time has come to ask all retail and small sector to liberate from the govt.s licence-Inspector and permit raj, as we are celebrated the so called 60 years of
Big corporate can get various tax benefits, concession from big manufacturers, government and other agencies and even they can make their own production centre, can provide better infrastructure, political and bureaucratic backing, finance availability, while the retail sector facing nuisance of govt. and political inference in day to day working. Say more than 30 crores of people directly and indirectly engaged in these unorganized sector. Considering the size and number, it is definitely a big vote bank. Hence why the political parties across