As Amazon's Jeff Bezos arrives in India, protests and an antitrust investigation welcome him. Government could offer incentives to Apple and Samsung suppliers to open factories in the country.
Bezos in India: Jeff Bezos is in India this week and he had some important announcements to make.
“Over the next five years, Amazon will invest an incremental $1bn to digitise micro and small businesses in cities, towns, and villages across India, helping them reach more customers than ever before,” Amazon's founder said in a statement. “This initiative will use Amazon’s global footprint to create $10bn in Indian exports by 2025."
India is an important emerging market for global players like Amazon. According to the company, it has amassed over 500,000 sellers in India, whose e-commerce market is projected to grow to $150bn in the next three years.
But Bezos was welcomed with more than a red carpet. Protests and an antitrust probe also greeted the world's richest man.
The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), a trade group representing 60m merchants across the country, said it was organising protests in 300 cities to publicise what they describe as predatory pricing and anti-competitive practices of Amazon (and Flipkart). And only two days ago, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) opened an antitrust probe into the e-commerce giants to find whether they have exclusive arrangements with smartphone vendors and are giving preferential treatment to some sellers. TechCrunch
Inciting Incentives: India is considering a plan to offer subsidised loans to mobile handset manufacturers in a bid to attract Apple And Samsung suppliers to open factories in the country. Click here to read more details.
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