Row over Walmart disclosures

At a time when the government's FDI policy is finally set to become a reality, comes a series of disclosure reports by global retail giant Walmart, that shows that the company has spend close to 25 million dollars since 2008 on its various lobbying activities to facilitate entry into the Indian market. The disclosures came barely two days after the Indian government opened up its multi-brand retail sector for foreign companies after winning a Parliament motion in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The opposition kicked up a massive storm in the Upper House today (Dec 10) over the disclosures, accusing the government of flouting foreign direct investment rules. Meanwhile, the government tried its best to defend itself while the US authorities continued to remain evasive.