CAIT condemns GSHHDC MoU with Flipkart

By

Maverick Martins

Published
Jan 29, 2020

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has condemned the Gujarat government’s decision of signing an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) between Gujarat State Handloom and Handicrafts Development Cooperation Ltd (GSHHDC) and e-commerce firm Flipkart.
 

Earlier this week, Flipkart signed an agreement with GSHHDC for promotion of local handicrafts. The partnership was part of Flipkart's Samarth initiative under which the e-tailer aims to help artisans, weavers, and craftsmen set up their business on its marketplace.
 
CAIT secretary general Praveen Khandelwal in a statement said: “It is extremely unfortunate and regrettable that on one hand Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has publicly expressed his concerns for the unethical and unlawful business practices being carried out on Flipkart, and on the other hand Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has joined hands with Flipkart.”

“This decision not only contradicts and conflicts with the Centre's stand but it also hurts the sentiments of seven crore retailers. This action by the chief minister also shows his insensitivity and indifference to the small retailers of Gujarat who are involved in a nationwide agitation against Flipkart's business model,” Khandelwal added.
 
CAIT has previously asked the government to investigate Flipkart and Amazon for alleged deep discounting and goods and services tax violations and has held nationwide protests against the two entities for several months.