India under tariff pressure to give Amazon, Walmart’s Flipkart full market access: Report
New Delhi: The United States is reportedly set to urge India to grant online retailers such as Amazon and Walmart full access to its Rs 125 billion e-commerce market.
According to industry executives, lobbyists and US government officials, Donald Trump's administration plans to push Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government for a level playing field on e-commerce in wide-ranging talks on a US-India trade agreement set to also cover sectors from food to cars, as reported by The Financial Times on Tuesday.
However, it did not mention what measures the Trump administration expects from the Indian government.
Currently, India allows US e-commerce companies to operate only as online marketplaces for others to sell their products. Their Indian competitors can produce, own and sell goods through their platforms. Washington calls this a “non-tariff barrier”, alongside limits on foreign direct investment in retail, added the report.
Reliance, for instance, can open physical stores and leverage its expansive retail and logistics network to reach consumers more directly and extensively in India.
Meanwhile, the White House, Amazon, Walmart, and Reliance did not respond to news outlet’s requests for comment.
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India-Pak tensions: Pak defence minister says 'nuclear' not on cards right now
Lahore, May 10 (PTI): The option to go nuclear is not on the cards right now, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday said as Indian and Pakistani militaries targeted each other's installations, escalating the already serious confrontations.
“At the moment the nuclear option is not on the cards. However, if the situation comes up the 'watchers' will be affected as well,” Asif told Geo News.
“I am telling the world that this is not going to be confined to the region only, it could be much wider ... this destruction. Our options are being reduced considering the situation India is creating,” he said.
Asif said that no meeting of the National Command Authority has been called.
The NCA is responsible for making the operational decisions on Pakistan’s nuclear weapons.
Tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan increased after the Indian armed forces on Wednesday conducted precision strikes targeting terror launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack that had cross-border linkages.
Pakistan launched a fresh wave of drone attacks targeting 26 locations in India -- from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat -- for the second night on Friday, with the Indian defence ministry saying the enemy's attempts to hit vital installations, including airports and air bases, were successfully thwarted.
Pakistan on early Saturday claimed that its three air bases were targeted by Indian missiles and drones.
