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BJD MP Sasmit Patra on Thursday voiced support for India's free trade agreements (FTAs) with the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, while calling for a detailed parliamentary discussion on the deals to allow both the ruling side and the Opposition to present their views.
"Be it the India-US trade deal or India-UK and India-EU trade deals, all these FTAs will be beneficial for India. The issues relating to dairy, animal husbandry, agriculture, and fisheries were raised by the Opposition. Once all FTA paperwork is complete, there should be a detailed discussion of it. There should be a debate on the FTAs where both the ruling side and the Opposition voice their opinions," Patra told ANI. Patra's remarks come after Opposition MPs staged a protest at the Makar Dwar of Parliament earlier in the day against the India-US interim trade agreement, terming it a "trap deal". The protest coincided with a nationwide strike by trade unions and farmers opposing various central government policies, including labour codes, trade agreements, privatisation, and other measures perceived as anti-worker and anti-farmer. This comes amidst the ongoing tussle between the government and the Opposition over the India-US interim trade in the current budget session. On Wednesday, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, while hitting out at the Centre over the India-US interim trade, said the Government itself has acknowledged that the world is facing a global storm, with the era of a single superpower coming to an end, intensifying geopolitical conflicts, and the weaponisation of energy and finance. Despite recognising this reality, he alleged, the government has allowed the United States to weaponise energy and financial systems in ways that affect India. The India-US Interim Agreement, announced last week, is intended as a framework for a reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade pact between the two countries. The agreement will involve the elimination or reduction of tariffs on US industrial goods and a wide range of food and agricultural products, including dried distillers' grains, red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products. In return, the United States will apply a reciprocal tariff of 18 percent on selected Indian goods, including textiles, apparel, leather, footwear, plastics, rubber, organic chemicals, home decor, artisanal products, and certain machinery. Upon full implementation, US tariffs on items such as generic pharmaceuticals, gems and diamonds, and aircraft parts will be removed. (ANI)
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