New Delhi: The Shiv Sena has said that the United States Trade Representative (USTR) removing India from developing countries list ahead of Trump’s visit on 24 and 25 February, has landed India into a crisis.
The office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) had issued a notice earlier this week removing India and 24 other nations, including China, from the list of developing countries and listing it as a developed economy, making it ineligible for benefits given by Washington to developing countries.
“While India is preparing itself for welcoming Trump, America has removed India from the list of developing countries. This is a big blow to our economy. With India on the list of developing countries, there used to be subsidiaries and tax benefits, now there will be nothing,” the party said in its editorial.
“The Trump administration has thrown a ‘googly’. India is now no more a developing country. This is a big crisis for India. India is miles away from the status of developed countries on parameters like education, health, employment, cleanliness and poverty alleviation,” the party said.
The US move on Monday will also reduce the threshold for triggering an investigation into whether nations are harming American industries with unfairly subsidised exports, according to the USTR notice.
“India is not a developed country and now it will no more avail the benefits that a developing nation gets. However, our Prime Minister will find a way out and will convert the bitter gourd sent by Trump into a sweet,” the editorial said.
Sena pointed out that India was far from the status of a developed country on parameters like health, education, employment, cleanliness and poverty alleviation and will not be able to avail subsidies and US tax benefits owing to its new position.
“This bitter gourd adversely affecting India’s global trade prospects came at a time when the central government and Gujarat administration are making arrangements for Donald Trump’s visit and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is himself monitoring it,” it added.