Cold welcome and more confusion for e-tailers

Amazon Inc chief executive Jeff Bezos seems to have got an icy welcome in India. A couple of days ago, addressing a gathering of local Amazon sellers, Bezos announced an investment of $1 billion (approximately Rs 7,000 crore) to digitally upgrade small businesses in India.

Despite his financial commitment, his Nehru jacket and his adulatory tweets for Mahatma Gandhi, the Government of India is not impressed.

While demonstrators from the Confederation of All India Traders outside the Amazon event shouted “Jeff Bezos, Go Home”, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal timed a broadside on Thursday: “They are not doing a great favour to India by investing a billion dollars.”