The 'Strategic Meet' organized by MAIT to discuss impact of online market on channel industry has been welcomed by south associations. The interaction is scheduled on 6th February in New Delhi, where IT associations will explain their woes related to online market.
N Anand, President, CITA, feels " This meeting will help us to come under one umbrella organization and share our concern. This will also enable us to unite and better collect our opinions and help us to find solution". C. Arumugam, Secretary, Confed-ITA also feels the same. He says, "It is the right platform to raise our voice against the onslaught of online and LFR markets. They have unethically reaped benefits of the IT market whereas channel industry which has spent years building brand values of vendors suffer under heavy losses". The IT associations also feel that MAIT might give them an opportunity to take the issue to the government. Toshy Mathew of AKITDA, says that such initiative is the need of the hour and MAIT's intervention might draw central government's attention towards this issue.
In a meeting held on 22nd November, 2013, AIT discussed the rising loss that channel partners have succumbed to due to the price disparity with online stores. Following the discussion MAIT has offered to work out solutions to mitigate the problem posed by online market. AIT's newly elected president Satya Prasad told The DQ Week that in a first step towards tackling the issue MAIT has recommended to constitute a separate committee of IT associations across India. In a joint meeting over growing threat from online market MAIT has promised AIT Bengaluru to assess the impact of online market on channel partners' business in India.