US' withdrawal of GSP benefits from India smells of lobbyist's hand

US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Friday, stating that the GSP scheme, which offered duty-free market access to more than 3,000 items exported from India, would be withdrawn on June 5

The withdrawal of the duty-free access scheme by the US, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Council of Ministers took over for a second term, may have been owing to persuasion by the world’s largest medical device association, AdvaMed, which is lobbying for ending price controls by India, but “after elections”. 

In a letter to US Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer, AdvaMed had suggested deferring the withdrawal of the benefits of the Generalised System of Preferences to India “until after the general elections are over and a new government is formed” to get a “favourable outcome” in trade