Thread by @BJPVaranasi

Why @washingtonpost and other western media is going after Modi and doing hit job on Prime Minister?
Well, follow the money.
Amazon Inc’s plans to dominate India’s online retail landscape have been ambushed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi by introducing new FDI bill to 1/n

save Indian retailers. The rules now bar Amazon from owning inventory and require them to treat all vendors equally, throttling discounts and exclusives — a huge advantage to homegrown companies.
The U.S. retail giants are being curbed in a market where they have committed 2/n

billion of dollars and, until recently, seemed to have already won. Amazon will have to reduce cash-back payments and discounts — a sore point for smaller sellers, who accuse the pair of predatory pricing. 3/n

Just after this decision, WaPo started planting news against the Modi government.

Amazon owns @washingtonpost and Modi is hurting their business very badly to help local business community in India. This is the reason you see many modi bashing articles in it. 4/n

The second variable in this game is Pharmaceutical Companies.
These Pharmaceutical Companies are very powerful in terms of money and media. They have huge influence over American media as well as European Media. Since Modi is hurting their profits, they decided to fight back.5/n

According to a 2009 study by Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, with the exception of CBS every major media outlet (Print as well as Cable) in the United States shares at least one board member with at least one drug company. 6/n

Drug companies spend about $5 billion a year on advertising with these corporate media outlets. Essentially these Drugs companies are cash cow advertising bonanza for corporate media. Since Modi is hurting their business, they are hitting on him via their friends in media. 7/n

In coming days, this game is going to be more interesting since Modi has said in one of his speech that he will continue to promote cheaper drugs for poor and will not let these pharmaceutical companies operate the way they want.
8/n

He is pushing for Uniform Code of Pharmaceuticals Marketing Practices (UCPMP). It will bring in greater scrutiny of companies and their engagement with doctors but could be a huge positive for patients. The game is on... 9/n

Some rules by Modi to control drug prices
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2016 banned 344 fixed-dose combinations (FDC), affecting about 6,000 brands made by 100 odd companies. 10/n

In 2017, Modi forced these companies to reduces the prices of stents and knee implants related drugs.

In Oct 2017, Modi government put a price cap on around 1300 non-essential drugs.

11/n

In March 2018, The prices of 851 essential drug formulations were cut, mostly in the 5-40 per cent range by Modi Government to give relief to poor and middle class.

12/n

Again in Aug 2018, Modi has fixed the ceiling price for 92 drug formulations, including those used for hepatitis C, migraine and diabetes related drugs. 13/n

And then in Nov 2018, Drug price regulator (NPPA ) fixed prices as well as revised ceiling and retail prices of 68 formulations, including those used for treatment of diabetes, blood pressure and HIV.

14/n

In Jan 2019, a move directed to bring relief to cancer patients especially those from economically weaker backgrounds, The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) had slashed the prices of 390 drugs up to 87% in Jan 2019.
15/n

**Modi Won't Let Amazon Crush India's Retailers, For Now - Forbes** (forbes.com/sites/panosmou…)
forbes.com/sites/.../modi… (forbes.com/sites/panosmou…)
How Narendra Modi’s political priorities ambushed Amazon and Walmart, and benefited India’s richest man | The Japan Times

(japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/02/0…)
No echo on Amazon as Narendra Modi’s surgical strike on e-commerce giants come into effect (indiatoday.in/technology/new…)
India’s new FDI rules could do some serious damage to Amazon and Flipkart (qz.com/india/1525199/…)

The cutthroat jobs strategy Amazon uses to conquer retail (nypost.com/2017/04/25/ama…)
Pharma wrap: Modi govt to focus on reducing out of pocket health expenditure (moneycontrol.com/news/trends/he…)
m.economictimes.com/industry/healt… (m.economictimes.com/industry/healt…)

Almost 90% slash in prices of nine anti-cancer drugs | India News - Times of India (timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/almost-9…)
Nearly 400 cancer medicine prices slashed by up to 87% (theprint.in/india/governan…)
Drugs For Cancer, Autism See Up To 86% Price Cut In A Year (businessworld.in/article/Drugs-…)

NPPA fixes ceiling price of 92 drug formulations (economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/healt…)
Prices of 851 essential drug formulations cut in past 2 year: Government (economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/healt…)
India's plan to reduce medicine prices faces industry pushback (economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/healt…)

m.economictimes.com/industry/healt… (m.economictimes.com/industry/healt…)
After stents and knee implants, government now plans to put a price cap on non-essential drugs (economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/healt…)

Big Pharma Owns The Corporate Media, But Americans Are Waking Up And Fighting Back - The Ring of Fire Network (trofire.com/2017/04/11/big…)