The Hindu : National appraisal on entry into WTO sought

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 18, 2003

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National appraisal on entry into WTO sought

By Our Staff Reporter

BHUBANESWAR MAY 17. The Government should come out with a balance-sheet analysing the impact of the country's entry into the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on the economy, the steering committee member of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), K.N. Govindacharya, said here today. A national appraisal was needed on the issue, he added.

The position paper, which should also have details of the losses suffered and the gains made by the country since it took WTO membership seven years ago, should be made public, he said at a press conference.

Observing that India had taken WTO membership without the matter being discussed in Parliament, Mr. Govindacharya said the Centre should refrain from going in for any new negotiation and act cautiously in order to protect the country's economic interests.

Asked whether he felt that the country should come out of the WTO, Mr. Govindacharya said: "When more than 30 countries in the world are thriving without getting into the WTO, India can withdraw from the organisation."

``The Government should not be afraid that the country will be isolated if it comes out of the WTO. With the country having a strong market potential, the Centre should think that the world needs India more than the India needs the world,'' he said.

Mr. Govindacharya, who was here to flag off the `Swadeshi Sangharsh Yatra' at Cuttack, said that the SJM was organising such `yatras' in different parts of the country to highlight the "adverse" impact of globalisation on the economy.

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National appraisal on entry into WTO sought