By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The Indigenous Biodiversity and Social Welfare Organisation (IBSWO) on Wednesday expressed its disagreement to allow Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail in the State stating that the same would conflict with intention and provisos of the Meghalaya Land Transfer Act, 1971 as well as the 6th Schedule and other such Constitutional safeguards to tribal land and livelihood.
Senior adviser of IBSWO, retired Rev PBM Basaiawmoit said, “Granting permission to these big players to enter the State’s market would mean demoting local entrepreneurship, threatening livelihoods and contributing to land alienation.”
Highlighting these points at a press briefing here on Wednesday, Rev Basaiawmoit said with the entry of multi-brand retail like Wal-Mart, Carrefour Sa, TESCO and any other transnational (TNC) or multinational (MNC) retail companies, large areas of land would be entailed for setting up malls with vast parking space which against the Meghalaya Land Transfer Act, 1971.
“They will control the market and policies and may put our produce and products in jeopardy, particularly, those of the local variety and produced from organic farming,” he said, adding that in the long run, neighbourhood shops and vendors would be adversely affected.
