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India has initiated a probe into an alleged increase in imports of certain steel flat products into the country following a complaint from the Indian Steel Association, according to a government notification. The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), under the commerce ministry, has started the investigation into imports of 'Non-Alloy and Alloy Steel Flat Products', used in various industries, including fabrication, pipe making, construction, capital goods, auto, tractors, bicycles, and electrical panels. According to the notification of the DGTR, the Indian Steel Association, on behalf of its members - ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India, AMNS Khopoli, JSW Steel, JSW Steel Coated Products, Bhushan Power & Steel, Jindal Steel and Power, Steel Authority of India - has filed an application under the customs tariff Act, 1975. They have sought imposition of safeguard duty on imports of these products into India. The applicant has alleged that there is a "recent, sudden, sharp and
India has pitched at the WTO for stricter regulations on subsidies granted by countries that are engaged in high seas fishing activities, an official said. Highlighting the stark disparity, an Indian document submitted at the World Trade Organization (WTO) has noted that it provides a modest USD 35 per fisher annually, compared to subsidies as high as USD 76,000 per fisher per year in some European nations. India also suggested that historical subsidisers should seek permission of the Committee on Fisheries Subsidies for grant of subsidies in future. The country has made these remarks in the meetings of the Negotiating Group on Rules (Fisheries subsidies), which are going on in Geneva. "India has pitched for strong disciplines for historical fisheries subsidisers which are engaged in distant water fishing (200 nautical miles from sea shore) and has asked for a moratorium on subsidies at the present level for 25 years," the official said. On these demands, India was supported by ..
India and Chinese Taipei have asked the WTO's dispute settlement body not to adopt any ruling against New Delhi's import duties on certain information and technology products till July 26 as both sides are engaged in resolving the matter, an official said. The issue came up during a meeting of the dispute settlement body (DSB) in Geneva on April 26. In the meeting, the two countries asked DSB to delay consideration of a dispute panel's reports until July 26, 2024 in order to help facilitate resolution of the disputes, the Geneva-based official said, adding that the body agreed to that. Earlier also, DSB had agreed to three previous requests from India and Chinese Taipei to delay consideration of the reports. As per rules of the WTO, the panel's ruling will have to be adopted by DSB for implementation within 60 days of the release of the order. However, countries can mutually request DSB for delay in adoption of the ruling. In its report, a dispute panel of WTO on April 17, 2023
India has appealed against a ruling of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) trade dispute settlement panel in a case filed by the European Union against New Delhi's import duties on nine information and technology products. India's move came after both regions were not able to arrive at a mutually agreeable solution (MAS). "India and the EU have negotiated to arrive at a MAS for the past seven months, but the EU has now filed for adoption of panel report on December 7 and therefore, India has appealed against it on December 8 in the WTO," Additional Secretary in the commerce ministry Peeyush Kumar told reporters here. As part of the MAS, the EU was seeking customs duty concessions on certain goods, which was not acceptable to India as it violates WTO rules. These concessions can only be given in a free trade agreement, Kumar said. In September, the two regions had asked WTO's dispute settlement body not to adopt a ruling against New Delhi's import duties on certain ICT products li
Four countries, including India and South Africa, have asked the WTO members to extend patent waiver to Covid-19 diagnostics and therapeutics as the pandemic is still alive and the risk of new variants remains real, an official said. These four member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) raised the demand in an informal meeting of TRIPS (Trade-Related aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Council in Geneva on Wednesday, the official said. In June last year, members of the WTO agreed to grant a temporary patent waiver for the manufacturing of Covid-19 vaccines for five years. It was also agreed to start talks on including therapeutics and diagnostics, as proposed by India and South Africa, under the purview of this waiver. The proponents of the proposal for extension argued that a decision on this was long overdue and should be taken at the General Council (GC) meeting of the WTO in December. This would also complement and support the work of the WHO (World Health ...
The WTO's General Council has discussed India's call to convene a virtual ministerial meeting on the World Trade Organisation's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the patent waiver proposal. India on December 23, 2021 sent a letter to the General Council Chair to hold a virtual ministerial meeting on the response of WTO (World Trade Organisation) to the pandemic, including the proposal to waive certain provisions of the TRIPS agreement for COVID-19-related vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics. On January 10, the General Council Chair Ambassador Dacio Castillo (Honduras) convened a meeting to discuss the World Trade Organisation's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, WTO said in a statement. After the meeting, Castillo said he would continue to hold consultations with members on the Indian proposal, underlining "the urgency and importance of reaching a meaningful outcome." A common WTO response to COVID-19 "remains an urgent priority for the membership," he said. WTO ...