Protest held against govt’s FTAs in Mumbai
Press Trust of India | 30 April 2010
Protest held against govt’s FTAs in Mumbai
Mumbai, Apr 30 (PTI) — Public health groups, patients’ groups and other community-based organisations today staged a protest here against the Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) which are being negotiated by the government.
The government of India is currently negotiating several FTAs, most importantly with the European Union, Japan and the European Free Trade Association, that are likely to adversely impact several sectors including access to medicines, agriculture and small scale industries, the agitators said.
The protesting groups alleged "these will drastically reduce access to newer medicines for people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other diseases both in India and other developing countries.
"We want the government to prepare a white paper on FTAs and its impact on the people of India and make the draft public," Julie George of lawyers collective said.
