The Hindu : India seeks market access in movement of people

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 03, 2002

National

National

India seeks market access in movement of people

By Sushma Ramachandran

NEW DELHI July 2. India has sought market access in movement of people in the ongoing negotiations on services at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). In a set of proposals presented at the WTO, it has urged liberalisation in movement of people, an area where the developed world has laid down a plethora of regulations to prevent better market access.

The main issue in movement of people for India is the utilisation of its highly educated and skilled workforce in other countries, especially software professionals. Just as other countries are seeking market access for services such as banking and insurance, India is seeking to capitalise on its strengths as a supplier of highly skilled workers and professionals by ensuring easier movement of personnel in developed countries. According to the Commerce and Industry Minister, Murasoli Maran, India has presented proposals in this regard, as developing countries have a comparative advantage.

Addressing a national seminar on WTO negotiations on trade in services organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Mr. Maran said that since global trade in services in 2000 in the U.S. at $ 1.4 trillion had reached 23 per cent of merchandise trade and India had 49 per cent of GDP accounted for by the services sector, it was high time the country took advantage of the market in services. This was needed also to achieve the target of attaining one per cent of global trade by 2007.

He said developed countries had not provided the South with sufficient market in the area of movement of natural persons.

Numerous regulations in the guise of Economic Needs Test, processing visa applications, residency requirements, recognition of educational qualifications, and social security contribution stood in the way of obtaining market access in sectors in which India had an advantage.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National