CAIT conference to deliberate on safeguarding India's Rs 140 lakh crore retail trade

New Delhi, May 11 (IANS) In view of the growing attempts by e-commerce and quick commerce companies to capture India’s vibrant retail trade worth over Rs 140 lakh crore annually, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) on Sunday said it is organising a national conference next week.

More than 100 leading trade leaders from across the country will participate in the event on May 16, where former Union Minister Smriti Irani is expected to be the key speaker.

CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal stated that the conference will not only include trade leaders but also proponents of Swadeshi products, representatives from transport, small industries, MSMEs, consumer organisations, women entrepreneurs, farmers, startups, employees, and other stakeholders of trade.

Together, they will formulate a unified strategy to expose the malicious agenda of foreign-funded companies and launch a nationwide campaign against them.

According to CAIT National President B.C. Bhartia, various sectors of trade and industry are coming together under one platform to challenge these companies head-on.

He pointed out that these companies have already caused massive damage to several major sectors such as mobiles and accessories, FMCG, consumer durables, kirana, electronics, toys, garments, apparel, footwear, food items, restaurants, and hotels, and are now attempting to capture more segments of the Indian market.

Bhartia further stated that the time has come to resist the unethical business practices of these companies tooth and nail in order to protect the integrity and independence of India’s retail trade.

According to CAIT, the conference is expected to be a decisive step towards launching a nationwide awareness and protest campaign based on the strategies outlined during the deliberations.

CAIT, which claims to represent over 90 million small businesses across the country, said it aims to strategise and mobilise a nationwide movement against the alleged unethical and unlawful practices of these e-commerce companies.

--IANS

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