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News from the Indian movements


Free trade frenzy: the hidden costs of South Asia’s economic gamble
As debt pressures rise, South Asia’s economic strategies are increasingly revolving around FTAs. The frenzy, however, is not only reshaping the region’s trade dynamics, but also a wide array of national legal frameworks, from labour rights to agriculture policies.
50,000 people say another world is possible
Together with GRAIN, Local Futures organized the aforementioned workshop ‘Resisting Free Trade Agreements in South Asia’, which brought together activists from South Asian countries to confront the massive proliferation of free trade agreements
New patent rules in India-UK trade agreement will prioritise pharmaceutical profit over public health
The “TRIPS-Plus” provisions in the India-UK Agreement are a dangerous attempt to increase the power of pharmaceutical companies by placing profits before public health.
Letter: Civil society calls on UK Prime Minister to ensure UK-India free trade agreement does not threaten access to affordable medicines
MSF and over 50 UK-based civil society organisations and individuals sent this open letter to United Kingdom Prime Minister, urging him to commit that the UK-India Free Trade Agreement will not gut the public health safeguards that are in India’s intellectual property laws.
Karnataka, India: Farmers hold a forum on trade, climate and seed issues
The Indian Coordination Committee of Farmers’ Movement (ICCFM) held a three-day forum in Bengaluru to discuss ongoing trade negotiations in which India is engaged and the impact of the climate crisis on Indian agriculture, among other issues.
India’s experience with investment treaty disputes and related damages
The experience with investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms has been mixed, with India facing several adverse awards and financial compensation in certain high-profile cases.
Proposed EU-India FTA
Can India protect its development objectives by signing a free trade agreement with an unequal partner with different ambitions?
India’s free trade talks ’ignore’ human rights, social justice, environmental impact
More than 130 organisations and civil society leaders have expressed concern at the lack of transparency and non-inclusive consultation processes adopted by the Union Government in the negotiations for entering into free trade, comprehensive economic partnership or investment related agreements.
Development opportunities or challenges
Looking at the proposed Free Trade Agreement between India and the European Union.
EU-India trade deal: Business as usual?
The EU-India trade deal is a neoliberal deal, entrenched in the idea that more trade between the two markets will bring significant benefits. Benefits there will be, for Indian and European multinationals but people and the planet will significantly lose from this deal.
MSF responds to UK’s disastrous proposal on intellectual property in UK-India Free Trade Agreement
UK IP demands contain provisions that would drastically harm access to affordable, lifesaving generic medicines from India, upon which millions of people around the world rely.
Joint UK and Indian civil society statement on the proposed Free Trade Agreement
We, as organisations representing Indian and UK civil society, call on the Indian and UK Governments to rethink the Free Trade Agreement currently being negotiated.
’Mad rush to sign FTAs not in interests of farmers’
India is inking a series of Free Trade Agreements but there is criticism from various quarters about it. All India Kisan Sabha Joint Secretary Vijoo Krishnan spoke about what is wrong with FTAs and where the government is erring.
Farmer union rep vows Indian people will resist FTAs
Interview with Vijoo Krishnan, joint secretary of All India Kisan Sabha (or All India Peasants Union) regarding current India FTAs negotiations.
An India-UK trade deal could mean a race to the bottom for Indian workers
On farmers and food, vaccine inequality, climate justice and digital rights, we need to act in solidarity – and not allow trade rules to sacrifice people to corporate profit.
A quantitative assessment of India’s withdrawal from RCEP: issues and concerns
This study casts serious doubt on earlier more optimistic projections of projected gains and shows that the case for proceeding with the RCEP without India’s participation is even less convincing.
Video: India-US free trade agreement and its impact on small-scale food producers in India
In the following videos, the possible impacts of this proposed agreement on India’s small-scale food producers are discussed.
Resisting RCEP from the ground up: Indian movements show the way
The six year long mobilisation led by farmers movements and trade unions have made it amply clear that rural India cannot be taken for a ride any more.
India has to withdraw formally and fully from RCEP negotiations & similar FTAs: Indian Coordination Committee of Farmers’ Movements (ICCFM)
Reacting to the developments in Thailand, with countries in RCEP negotiations deciding to go ahead for now without India, farmer leaders in India stated that this is a good development, and that India will not lose in any manner.
No RCEP is better than a bad deal for India
The Forum for Trade Justice is of the opinion that the Government of India should not agree to the RCEP as it will be a bad deal for democracy, for farmers, workers.