India meets criteria for preferential trade status: MEA

India meets the criteria for the trade concessions under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) program eliminated by the United States earlier this year, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

Responding to a question on whether India is interested in the reinstatement of the GSP and negotiating on the same, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said, "We have seen the letter written by these 44 US congressmen. It has always been India's position that GSP is a unilateral decision given by countries to other countries based on certain criteria."

"We are a developing country. We meet those criteria. I do not recall ever stating that we are not interested in GSP. To my recollection, the United States unilaterally withdrew that concession from us. Ultimately its a matter for the US to call on," he added.

The ministry's comments come a day after a bipartisan group of 44 US lawmakers urged the Trump administration to reinstate the program for New Delhi.

The US ended the privileges that India was enjoying under the GSP on June 5. The GSP, implemented since 1974, is the largest and oldest US trade preference scheme and it allows duty-free imports for thousands of products from designated beneficiary countries.