Govt to examine Bharti-Wal-Mart deal: Kamal Nath

New Delhi, Nov 28 (UNI) The government today said it will examine the Bharti-Wal-Mart deal to ensure that no regulations have been violated and gave a categorical assurance that the interests of farmers and small shopkeepers would be protected.

The statement came from Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath on the sidelines of the India Economic Summit here.

''There will be no backdoor entry of Wal-Mart,'' Mr Kamal Nath told reporters.

The deal, which created much hype, was announced yesterday at the Summit with the world's largest retailer taking the franchise route. The Joint Venture will set up a shop on August 15 next year with Sunil Bharti Mittal, CEO of Bharti Enterprises, owning and operating the venture.

India's largest GSM telecom operator was to enter into 50:50 joint venture with the 312 billion dollar Wal-Mart Stores. Mr Mittal has stated the new company would enter into back-end operations like logistics, supply chain, technology support and outsourcing as well as cash-and-carry formats.

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