PRESS RELEASE

NATIONAL CONVENTION TO RESIST CORPORATE HIJACKING OF RETAIL

On 22nd of April, 2007 a "NATIONAL CONVENTION TO RESIST CORPORATE HIJACKING OF RETAIL" was held at Rajendra Bhawan Auditorium, 210, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg, Near ITO, Delhi-2. Leading trade associations, farmers organizations, trade unions, hawkers unions, Civil society organizations and academicians joined the campaign.

The convention aimed to discuss and finalize the various aspects of the campaign to build an intense and broader resistance to corporate onslaught on retail in India through the formation of joint action committee and concretizing demands and oppose backdoor entry of Wal-Mart into Indian Retail business.

The invited speakers were Mr. Wade Rathke, American labor leader and Director of ACORN-USA (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) Dr. Vandana Shiva, Social Activist, Mr. Tapan Sen, Secretary, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Mr. Praveen Khandelwal, Secretary General, Confederation of All India Traders, Ms. Medha Patkar, Social Activist, Mr. Shaktiman Ghosh, President, National Hawkers Federation, Mr. Nurul Huda, Joint Secretary, All India Kisan Sabha.

Out of the National Convention, a national action committee has been formed which would be meeting on 6th May to work out future action strategies. The National Convention decided to celebrate 1st - 15th August (India's Independence Day) as a fortnight of actions to defend India's retail democracy. On 9th of August, which is celebrated as Quit India Day because that is the day when India told the British colonizers to Quit India, will be celebrated as a day of intense action with a call "Corporations Quit India's Retail and Agriculture". RFSTE / Navdanya also released a summary of the study on the impact of Corporate Retail on livelihoods of the poor and the environment.

For further information please contact :

Navdanya / Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology
Phone : 26535422 / 26561868
Email : vshiva@vsnl.com