Trump plans to scrap preferential trade status for India, Turkey
Washington : US President Donald Trump has said he intends to end the preferential trade status granted to India and Turkey, asserting that New Delhi has failed to assure America of "equitable and reasonable" access to its markets, an announcement that could be seen as a major setback to bilateral trade ties.
President Trump notified Congress in letters of his "intent to terminate" trade benefits for both countries under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) eligibility criteria.
Under the United States GSP programme, nearly 2,000 products including auto components and textile materials can enter the US duty-free if the beneficiary developing countries meet the eligibility criteria established by Congress.
India was the largest beneficiary of the program in 2017 with USD 5.7 billion in imports to the US given duty-free status and Turkey the fifth largest with USD 1.7 billion in covered imports, according to a Congressional Research Service report issued in January.
In a letter to Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, Trump said he was determined that New Delhi had "not assured" the US that it would "provide equitable and reasonable access" to the markets of India.
"I am taking this step because, after intensive engagement between the United States and the Government of India, I have determined that India has not assured the United States that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to the markets of India," Trump said in the letter to congressional leaders on Monday.
"I will continue to assess whether the Government of India is providing equitable and reasonable access to its markets, in accordance with the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) eligibility criteria," Trump said in his letter, a copy of which was released to the press.
Trump, who has vowed to reduce US trade deficits, has repeatedly called out India for its high tariffs.
Addressing a four-day annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland on Saturday, Trump accused India of being a "high tariff nation" and threatened to impose "a reciprocal tax" to match the heavy duties that New Delhi imposes on goods imported from the United States.
The GSP criteria include, among others, respecting arbitral awards in favour of US citizens or corporations, combatting child labour, respecting internationally recognised worker rights, providing adequate and effective intellectual property protection and providing the US with equitable and reasonable market access.
Countries can also be graduated from the GSP programme, depending on factors related to economic development.
In a separate letter, Trump also informed the Congress of his intent to terminate the GSP beneficiary designation of Turkey.
He said it was primarily because the economy of Turkey had improved a lot in the last four-and-a-half decades.
"In the four-and-a-half decades since Turkey's designation as a GSP beneficiary developing country, Turkey's economy has grown and diversified," he said.
"Increases in Gross National Income per capita, declining poverty rates and export diversification by trading partner and by sector are all evidence of Turkey's increased level of economic development. In addition, Turkey has graduated from other developed countries' GSP programs due to its increase in economic development or through reciprocal arrangements," he argued.
Trump's letter to Pelosi could be seen as a major setback to India-US bilateral relationship, in particular in the arena of trade and economy.
In a separate statement, the US Trade Representative (USTR) said India's termination from GSP followed its failure to provide the US with assurances that it would provide equitable and reasonable access to its markets in numerous sectors.
Turkey's termination from GSP followed a finding that it was sufficiently economically developed and should no longer benefit from preferential market access to the US market, the statement said.
"By statute, these changes may not take effect until at least 60 days after the notifications to Congress and the governments of India and Turkey, and will be enacted by a Presidential Proclamation," the USTR said.
The Trump administration had launched an eligibility review of India's compliance with the GSP market access criterion in April 2018.
"India has implemented a wide array of trade barriers that create serious negative effects on United States commerce. Despite intensive engagement, India has failed to take the necessary steps to meet the GSP criterion," the USTR said.
The US had designated Turkey as a GSP beneficiary developing country in 1975.
An increase in the Gross National Income (GNI) per capita, declining poverty rates and export diversification by trading partner and by sector were evidence of Turkey's higher level of economic development, the USTR said.
The US India Business Council urged the Trump administration to continue GSP benefits for India.
Despite a number of serious bilateral trade issues, both India and the US have gained from trade under the GSP program, it said.
USIBC is in the process of collecting more information from both governments on next steps, including any possible reactions by India, the council said in a late night policy alert.
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
