Disappointed by the government's decision

to put foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail on

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hold,

India Inc today described the move as "highly regressive".

"... It is a highly regressive move. For the growth of this

vital sector of the economy, which is likely to result in strong

linkages with the farm sector and for the economy as a whole, it

is imperative that reforms like these should take place," FICCI President

Harsh Mariwala said.

He was reacting to the announcement made by Finance Minister

Pranab Mukherjee in Parliament that the government has decided to

hold back its decision to allow 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail.

The decision to hold back FDI in multi-brand retail will have

a strong impact on the domestic and foreign investor sentiment, another

chamber, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), said in a release.

"We firmly hope that this would not be a rollback and a quick

consensus is reached," CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee said.

Describing the volte face as a case of "missed opportunity",

Assocham Secretary General D S Rawat said, "It will send a very negative

message to foreign investors."

Rawat said FDI in multi-brand retail could have created over

10 million jobs in three years, curbed wastage of farm products and

benefited farmers through better prices for their produce