Commits to exporting $10 billion India-made goods by 2025.
Amazon.com
Inc Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos said on Wednesday
that his company would invest an additional $1 billion (about Rs
7,000 crore) to help bring small businesses online in India, and also
committed to using the retail giant’s “size, scope and scale”
to export $10 billion of made-in-India goods by 2025.
Bezos’
India visit — for the maiden edition of his firm’s micro, small
and medium enterprises (MSME)-focussed event, Amazon Smbhav — comes
at a time when the Competition Commission of India (CCI) is probing
his company, as well as Walmart-owned Flipkart, on complaints of deep
discounting practices and tie-ups with preferred sellers.
Seeking
to reach out to critics, Bezos, donning traditional Indian attire,
said his company was committed to being a long-term partner of India.
“Actions
speak louder than words,” he added, addressing a packed house in
New Delhi.
“We’re
making this announcement now because it’s working...When something
works, you should double down on it.
I
want to make a prediction for you. I predict that the 21st century is
going to be the Indian century. The dynamism, the energy…
everywhere I go here, I meet people who are working in
self-improvement and growth. This country has something special,
democracy,” he said.
“I
make one more prediction for you: In this 21st century, the most
important alliance is going to be the alliance between India and the
US,” Jeff
Bezos added. The firm aims to digitise 10 million MSMEs with the
proposed investment. In addition to providing training and enrolling
MSMEs into its programmes, Amazon will help them work on cloud
technology through specialised Amazon Web Services offerings at low
costs. It will also establish 100 “digital haats’ in cities and
villages throughout India.
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