House meets today, govt to push retail FDI
Govt weighs administrative order option, but can’t make up mind; BJP plans protests in and outside House
A day before the Assembly winter session, the Delhi government is intensely deliberating its options to allow foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail and become the first state in the country to do so.
Even as the ruling Congress has agreed to discuss the issue in the Assembly on Tuesday, sources said the government’s push for FDI in retail in Delhi might need a longer and harder effort than expected.
Soon after the Union government decided to allow FDI in retail, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has been reiterating her stand to make Delhi the first state to implement it.
However, just before the winter session, Dikshit was weighing options on the route to be followed to usher in FDI in retail in Delhi.
“FDI in retail is a new policy. We want to allow it in Delhi as soon as possible, but we do not want to make any mistake while doing so. We would prefer to take time and implement the policy in a proper way,” a senor Delhi government official said.
He said the proposal to allow FDI in retail was on the agenda when the Delhi Cabinet met on Monday. But the discussion was deferred because it has to be deliberated if the policy could be implemented through a notification or an administrative order was required.
The government had maintained that amendments to the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act
