Much has already been written about the Model shops and establishment act bill of 2016, which proposes to liberalize shopping in India in a major way. While many quarters are going into overdrive with the hype and hoopla revolving around the potential security and feasibility concerns, I feel it’s a great way to finally really put India and its metropolitan cities on a world stage – at par with the likes of Paris and New York!
If shopping malls were to be kept operational round the clock, not only would it give true shopping flexibility to the urban shopper but would also lead to increased levels of GDP growth, business potential and much more.
As for myself, I view it as a progressive step in taking retail business beyond the current threshold towards the maturity it deserves in a country like India. It would lead to more employment opportunities and provide a further impetuous to our law and enforcement agencies to up security measures.
People would have more time and convenience to shop, especially outside working hours, favoring retail greatly. However, all this would need to be coupled with a heightened sense of responsibility by all stakeholders.
All in all, this would be a great step towards globalization.