VOA标准英语2011--India’s Opposition Demands Rollback of Move to Allow Foreign Retailers

India’s Opposition¹ Demands Rollback of Move to Allow Foreign Retailers⁴

 

In India, opposition parties and political allies of the government are demanding a rollback of a recent decision to further open up the country's retail² business to foreign super stores.

The measure is seen as a mark of the government’s determination to put economic reforms back on track.

Two brothers, Rajesh and Rakesh Talwar, own a small shop where they sell eggs and bread in New Delhi’s Lodhi Road market.

They worry that large foreign retailers could drive them out of business, if they open super stores in India.

Rakesh Talwar fears the super stores will sell provisions like eggs at a lower price, compared to shops like his, because they can source directly from farms instead of buying from middlemen. He says customers will flock to those stores.

Opposition parties and political allies of the coalition⁵ government are backing that argument as they fiercely protest the government’s recent decision to allow 51 percent foreign direct investment in the multi-brand retail sector⁶.

They say the arrival of foreign retail chains like Wal-mart and Tesco will threaten the livelihood⁷ of millions of small shop owners.

A vendor8 exchanges money with a customer at a shop selling garlic, onions and potatoes at a wholesale9 market in Mumbai, April 28, 2011.

The controversy¹⁰ about super stores has become a political storm in parliament.

On Tuesday, opposition lawmakers stalled the legislature for a second day, with the issue.

Sushma Swaraj, the leader of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, insists that the government reverse the decision to open the retail sector to foreign investors¹¹. Swaraj is angry that the government did not take all political parties on board before announcing the landmark¹² reform.

At least two political allies of the government are also demanding its rollback.

Several states ruled by opposition parties have already announced that they will block the entry of foreign super stores. They include Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, a state ruled by an ally of the ruling Congress Party.

Backers of the plan say the government went forward, despite the opposition, because it wanted to address concerns that the pace of economic reforms has flagged and it wanted to rejuvenate¹³ an economy which is slowing after years of high growth.

The government insists that foreign stores will bring in much-needed investment to build supply chains and cold storage facilities, improve farmers’ incomes, create millions of jobs and make food cheaper.

The so-called organized retail sector is at a nascent¹⁴ early stage in India, with a handful of domestic companies accounting¹⁵ for a mere¹⁶ six percent of India’s $450 billion retail sector.

The head of the Retailers Association of India, Kumar Rajagopalan, says foreign retail investors will transform India into a modern consumer society. He says the fears that the large stores will edge the millions of small stores out of business are unfounded.

“The average size of a retailer³ in this country has been 180 square fee," he says. "They have got hardly any costs of operations. They are themselves sitting at the store. And, they know who their customers are, they are very visible to the customer and those cannot be easily substituted at least for the next 10 years time. Because the need for having the nearby store with capability¹⁷ to deliver at home, give you credit, recognize you is still going to be there," says Rajagopalan.

But political opposition to the measure is unlikely to die down soon. On Thursday, several trade unions, backed by political parties, have announced a nationwide shutdown.

Officials say the government is braced¹⁸ to face the storm and has no plans to back down from the measure.

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

3 retailer   

n.零售商(人)

参考例句：

• What are the retailer requirements?零售商会有哪些要求呢？
• The retailer has assembled a team in Shanghai to examine the question.这家零售商在上海组建了一支团队研究这个问题。

4 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

5 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

6 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

7 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

8 vendor   

n.卖主；小贩

参考例句：

• She looked at the vendor who cheated her the other day with distaste.她厌恶地望着那个前几天曾经欺骗过她的小贩。
• He must inform the vendor immediately.他必须立即通知卖方。

9 wholesale   

n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售

参考例句：

• The retail dealer buys at wholesale and sells at retail.零售商批发购进货物，以零售价卖出。
• Such shoes usually wholesale for much less.这种鞋批发出售通常要便宜得多。

10 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

11 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

12 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

13 rejuvenate   

v.(使)返老还童；(使)恢复活力

参考例句：

• The mountain air will rejuvenate you.山里的空气会使你恢复活力。
• Exercise is perhaps the most effective way to rejuvenate your skin.锻炼可能是使皮肤恢复活力的最好手段。

14 nascent   

adj.初生的，发生中的

参考例句：

• That slim book showed the Chinese intelligentsia and the nascent working class.那本小册子讲述了中国的知识界和新兴的工人阶级。
• Despite a nascent democracy movement,there's little traction for direct suffrage.尽管有过一次新生的民主运动，但几乎不会带来直接选举。

15 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

16 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

17 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

18 braced   

adj.拉牢的v.支住( brace的过去式和过去分词 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来

参考例句：

• They braced up the old house with balks of timber. 他们用梁木加固旧房子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The house has a wooden frame which is braced with brick. 这幢房子是木结构的砖瓦房。 来自《简明英汉词典》