New Delhi: The Corporate Affairs Ministry on Monday said it is examining the report of the government-appointed panel that probed Walmart's lobbying activities with US lawmakers to enter the Indian market. "We are examining the report," Corporate Affairs Minister Sachin Pilot said.
The one-man committee, headed by former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court Mukul Mudgal, had submitted the report to Pilot on May 18. The Ministry would look into the committee's report and make recommendations before sending it to Parliament, Pilot said on the sidelines of a Competition Commission of India event.
Set up in January 2012, the panel looked into "whether Walmart undertook any activities in India in contravention of any Indian law", and any other matter relevant to this issue. There was political uproar following media reports about Walmart's lobbying among the US lawmakers since 2008 for facilitating its entry into the Indian market. The government in December, 2012 had assured Parliament to get the matter probed by a retired judge.
As per US Congressional records of lobbying disclosure reports, the company spent a total amount of $6.13 million (about Rs 33 crore) on lobbying for various issues, including on "discussions related to FDI in India", during entire 2012. The tenure of the committee, which was expected to present its report by April 30, was extended. The panel, which met five times, had also interacted with Walmart representatives besides gathering responses from the public on the matter....
10:19 PM, May 20, 2013
New Delhi: Investigation into whether US giant Walmart may have bribed Indian officials to gain wider access to the country's vast market has been closed due to lack of evidence, sources said on Sunday. Corporate Affairs Ministry has confirmed and said no evidence of lobbying was found. The one-man committee of Former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court Mukul Mudgal probing the matter had submitted a report to...
05:59 PM, May 19, 2013
New Delhi: A committee looking into US giant Walmart's lobbying activities to enter India today submitted its report to Corporate Affairs Minister Sachin Pilot. Former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court Mukul Mudgal who headed the panel set up to look into lobbying activities by Walmart, submitted the report to Pilot at his residence. No details of the report were immediately available. ...
07:35 PM, May 18, 2013
New Delhi: The panel looking into retail major Walmart's lobbying activities with American lawmakers for its entry into the Indian market is likely to submit its report to the government in a day or two. The one-man committee, headed by former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court Mukul Mudgal, has finalised the report. Sources said the report is expected to be submitted to the government "this week". The...
02:20 PM, May 18, 2013
Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh BJP, which has been opposing FDI in retail, on Saturday said it would not allow foreign stores like Walmart into the state "Foreign chains like Walmart and Metro Cash and Carry will not be allowed to enter Himachal and the interests of small traders will be fully safeguarded," state BJP president Satpal Singh Satti said. He was reacting to Civil Supplies minister GS Bali's announcement to...
01:53 AM, May 12, 2013
Dhaka: Bangladeshi police are investigating possible murder charges against the owner of a shoddily built factory that collapsed nearly two weeks ago after the wife of a garment worker crushed in the accident filed a complaint. The legal development comes as officials on Monday said that the death toll from the country's worst industrial disaster had reached 645. Sheuli Akter, wife of Jahangir Alam, filed the complaint with Dhaka magistrate...
09:58 PM, May 06, 2013
Dhaka: The wife of a Bangladeshi garment worker who was killed when a building collapsed filed a murder complaint against the building's owner on Sunday as the death toll from the country's worst industrial disaster climbed to 622. Murder complaints were also filed against the owner of one of the garment factories inside the building and a municipal engineer in the suburb of the capital, Dhaka, where the factory was...
12:55 AM, May 06, 2013
Dhaka: The toll in the building collapse on the outskirts of Bangladesh capital Dhaka has swelled to nearly 600, authorities said on Sunday, even as rescuers continued removing concrete slabs and debris 12 days after the industrial tragedy. Hoping to find their missing loved ones, many people were seen around the scene of the collapse and visiting nearby hospitals and a school ground where the bodies have been kept for...
07:53 PM, May 05, 2013
Mumbai: Hong-Kong entrepreneur Ramesh Tainwala spent 18 months operating branded clothing retail stores in India before deciding it was impossible to succeed without paying bribes. Tainwala, a 55-year-old expatriate Indian, owns Planet Retail, which held the India franchise rights for US fashion labels Guess and Nautica as well as UK retailers Next and Debenhams. He sold the brands last September to various Indian businesses. "Right now it's not possible to...
12:37 PM, May 05, 2013
New Delhi: The government-appointed panel looking into Walmart's lobbying with American lawmakers for its entry into the Indian market is likely to meet on Monday and deliberate on information provided by the retail giant. The one-man committee, headed by former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court Mukul Mudgal, during its meeting in April had sought fresh details from Walmart. Sources said the probe panel is expected to meet...
10:47 AM, May 05, 2013
Dhaka: Police on Friday arrested an engineer for negligence in duty in connection with the worst building collapse in Bangladesh that left at least 509 people dead. Abdur Razzak Khan worked as consultant when the owner of the eight-story Rana Plaza in suburban Savar illegally added three floors atop the ill-fated building, a police official told newsmen. 63 more bodies were on Friday retrieved from the debris 10th day into...
10:24 AM, May 04, 2013
Toronto: A Canadian company has said it will provide compensation for the families of victims who worked in the collapsed Bangladeshi garment factory that made products for its Joe Fresh clothing line. Loblaw Inc said on Monday it aims to ensure that victims and their families "receive benefits now and in the future." At least 382 people have died in the collapse. Spokeswoman Julija Hunter said the company is still...
07:44 AM, Apr 30, 2013
Dhaka: Two factory bosses and two engineers were detained in Bangladesh on Saturday, three days after the collapse of a building where low-cost garments were made for Western brands killed at least 352 people. More were being pulled alive from the rubble at the building, where police said as many as 900 people were still missing in Bangladesh's worst ever industrial accident. The owner of the eight-storey building that fell...
07:09 PM, Apr 27, 2013
Dhaka: With deep cracks visible in the walls, the police had ordered a Bangladesh garment building to be evacuated the day before its deadly collapse, but the factories flouted the order and kept more than 2,000 people working, officials said Thursday. At least 194 people died when a huge section of the eight-story building splintered into a pile of concrete. The disaster in the Dhaka suburb of Savar came less...
04:16 PM, Apr 25, 2013
Washington: Walmart continued to lobby with the American lawmakers over Indian retail FDI rules during the first quarter of 2013, even as a probe is underway into the global retail giant's US lobbying activities for facilitating its India entry. In its latest lobbying disclosure report filed with the US Senate and the House of Representatives for the quarter ended March 31, 2013, the various lobbying issues of Walmart during the...
03:40 PM, Apr 23, 2013
London: India's leading industrialist brothers, Mukesh and Anil Ambani, have been together listed as 20th richest in the world in the Sunday Times Rich List 2013. The brothers, who have separate industrial empire in India, have been clubbed together under the category of Petrochemicals and they are jointly assessed worth 17 billion pounds as against 19 billion pounds in 2012. The Hinduja brothers, Srichand and Gopichand Hinduja, Chairman and Co-Chairman...
12:59 PM, Apr 21, 2013
New Delhi: The government-appointed probe panel, which is looking into Walmart's lobbying with the US lawmakers for facilitating India entry, on Thursday got a one-month extension in its tenure till May-end. The one-man inquiry committee, which was set up by the government in January 2013, was earlier asked to submit its report by end of April, but the probe will take more time as fresh details have been sought from...
11:40 PM, Apr 18, 2013
New Delhi: A government appointed probe panel looking into Walmart's lobbying with US lawmakers for its India entry on Wednesday sought fresh details from the global retailer and it expects to complete the investigation by June. The one-man panel of former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court Mukul Mudgal, held its fourth meeting in the capital on Wednesday. It was attended by Walmart representatives and senior officials from...
05:40 PM, Apr 10, 2013
Multinational retail giant Walmart has said that the company is expected to incur financial losses in view of ongoing investigation into alleged corruption cases pertaining to its foreign subsidiaries. "We expect to continue to incur costs (in addition to the USD 157 million of costs incurred in fiscal 2013) in conducting our on-going review and investigations", the company said in a filing to US Securities and Exchange Commission. ...
06:17 PM, Mar 27, 2013
A government-appointed inquiry committee, looking into the US lobbying activities of Walmart Stores for Indian market foray, on Friday met senior executives of the global retail giant and sought details on the issue. The Committee met the representatives of Walmart Asia as well as those of Bharti Walmart Private Ltd, the company's Indian joint venture with Bharti group, along with their counsel in New Delhi. ...
12:45 AM, Mar 23, 2013
