The Indian Crab

Indian Crab is an anecdote that is told to symbolises the Indian mentality of pulling people down no matter how good they are or beneficial their intentions maybe.

This mentality so evident in our current political situation. Whatever the Government proposes the oppositon and some of the government's coalation partner disposes. The Government introduced some Economic reforms by allowing the Foreign Direct Investment in the retail sector to be more than 50%. This opens the doors to groups like Walmart and TESCO to invest in the Indian retail sector. The Oposition and Mamta Baneerjee (who now days has taken upon her to oppose everything and act like a stubborn child, maybe she likes the attention she gets when people try to pacify her) that these reforms are against the people. They say that the Government is acting as the puppet of the US with these reforms.

I wonder which people is our opposition referring to. With FDI the farmers and the service providers would get a fair price for their goods and service as they would be selling directly seller thus eliminating the need for a middle man. The common man would get better good and services at reasonable rates. More competition means the retailer will go over each other to try and give the best products at the best price. That leaves only the middleman who anyway try and cheat the farmers by giving them a less price and sell at exhobarant price to the common man. With the entry of better brands these will have to up their game.

The Opposition contend that if these retail brands enter the Indian Retail Market then retailers like the Kirana store owners would loose their business and will have to close shop and people would loose their jobs. Having been to both to Walmart (in Texas) and TESCO (in KL) they reminded me of Big Bazar and we need to remember that Big Bazar has been around for over a decade and these kirana store are still there. Many home grown retail brands like Reliance Fresh, Godrej's Nature Basket, More and D-Mart open shop and some shut shop but these kirana store still continued to prosper. So will new competitors effect them... Probably not. With regards to people loosing their jobs I feel it is the opposite. Many more jobs will be created.

We need to watch is the impacts that these reforms have on the Economy. How they will benefit us make us grow. Rather than listening to the political drama we need to see how the entry of the foreign players help our economy to grow and prosper.