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www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know India Relaxes E-Commerce Investment Rules For Exports In Win For Amazon I ndia’s government on Thursday eased foreign invest- ment rules to allow e-commerce companies to buy products directly from Indian sellers and then sell them to overseas customers, a major win for Ama- zon, which lobbied for the change for months. The relaxation comes just when India and the United States are struggling to sign a trade agreement. India’s e-commerce investment rules that Amazon andWalmart face have for years been a sore point between New Delhi andWashington. The move marks a rare relaxation of India’s tightly controlled e-commerce regime, which has long barred foreign online retailers from buying and selling goods di- rectly. Amazon andWalmart have argued the restrictions limit their ability to expand, while retailer groups warn any easing could give foreign firms an unfair advantage. Seeking to protect millions of small retailers, India only allowed foreign e-commerce firms to operate as online marketplaces that connect buyers and sellers. The government said the change was aimed at boosting exports. The decision would “facilitate greater exports through easier and increased access of global markets,” it said in a statement. Amazon told Reuters in a statement the policy change would help manufacturers in smaller towns and cities reach overseas buyers and support its goal of achieving $80 billion cumulative exports from India by 2030. Walmart’s e-commerce company in India, Flipkart, did not respond to Reuters queries. CALL FOR STRICT OVERSIGHT The relaxation comes despite industry groups backing small retailers opposing any easing of restrictions for the U.S. companies in closed-door meetings held with the government last year. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), which represents millions of brick-and-mortar retailers, has ar- gued the change could be abused by foreign companies and give themmore control over supply chains. In 2024, the Indian antitrust watchdog’s investigation found that Amazon and Flipkart breached competition laws by giving preference to select sellers on their shop- ping websites, allegations the companies deny. “A robust monitoring mechanismmust be put in place to ensure there is no misuse of this provision. Given the past track record of several large tech companies ... strict oversight is essential,” Praveen Khandelwal, Secretary General of CAIT, told Reuters. Amazon and Flipkart are dominant players in India’s e-commerce market which is set to be worth $250 billion by 2030, according to a Google and Deloitte report in April, from current levels of roughly $90 billion. - Reuters By Aditya Kalra Two Decades Of Mass Protests In India T housands of supporters of India’s youth-led “cockroach” movement have been protesting since June, demanding the education minister resign over exam paper leaks, in the biggest challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his third term. Activists say the leaks showed wide- spread corruption, a complaint which has brought crowds onto the streets for years. Following are details of major rallies, triggered by graft and other crimes and causes, over the past two decades. APRIL 2011: Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare started the first of two hunger strikes in a bid to push the government to bring in anti-graft legislation. Hundreds of thousands rallied to his support across the country and he was briefly jailed by the then-Congress alli- ance government. India’s parliament eventually passed an anti-graft law, though Hazare said it watered down his demands. Some of his supporters went on to form the Aam Aadmi Party in 2012, now one of Modi’s opponents in parliament. DECEMBER 2012: Public fury over the gang-rape of a young woman on a moving bus in New Delhi erupted into mass protests in the capital. Crowds blockaded roads, broke through police lines in street confron- tations and called for an overhaul of a system and a society they said had failed to tackle violence against women. Many demanded the culprits be executed. The 23-year-old woman died in a Singapore hospital a few days after the attack. In response, India amended laws to expand the definition of sexual assault and set up fast-track courts to speed up trials in such cases. DECEMBER 2019: India’s parliament passed a new citizen- ship law that brought hundreds of thou- sands of people to the streets in protests and triggered bouts of sectarian violence that killed at least 76 people. The Citizenship Amendment Act aimed to fast-track citizenship for Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Christians who arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014 from neighbouring Muslim-majority Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Critics said the law, alongside a proposed national register of citizens, dis- criminated against Muslims and violated the spirit of India’s secular constitution. Some feared the government would re- move the citizenship of Muslims without documents in some border states. India implemented the law in March 2024. SEPTEMBER 2020: Thousands of farmers blocked roads and railway tracks in protests against new legislation that they say could pave the way for the government to stop buying grain at guaranteed prices, leaving them at the mercy of private buyers. Modi’s government defended the bills, saying they would help rid India’s vast agriculture sector of antiquated laws and allow farmers to sell to institutional buy- ers and big retailers. The protests lasted more than a year before Modi repealed the laws. JUNE 2022: An overhaul of military recruitment, designed to bring in fitter, younger troops and reduce pension expenditure, trig- gered rail blockades and protests across the country. Recruits, veterans and opposition leaders objected to the introduction of fixed four-year contracts, saying people would struggle to get other jobs once their service was over. Modi’s government refused to roll back the programme but offered instead to reserve 10% of state vacancies for those who had served the four years. AUGUST 2024: Thousands of doctors took to the streets for months after the rape and mur- der of a trainee doctor in a government hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata. Protesters demanded safer workplaces, a crackdown on violence against women and a swift investigation into the attack.. - Reuters News India Times (July 25, 2026 - July 31, 2026) July 31, 2026 26 India PHOTO:REUTERS/ANUSHREE FADNAVIS Supporters of India’s Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) hold flags and signs during the ongoing protests, a few days after thousands of protesters marched towards parliament demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) examination paper leaks, at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, India, July 23, 2026. PHOTO:REUTERS/AMIT DAVE/FILE PHOTO Amazon delivery packages are seen outside a shop in Ahmedabad, India, October 5, 2021. Picture taken October 5, 2021.