Govt to push for global pact on easy work travel at international fora

NEW DELHI: India will make a pitch for a global agreement to make it easier to travel for work across borders at international fora like the G-20 and BRICS even as increasing protectionism in the West has unsettled the country's services industry.

The commerce ministry plans to reach out to other countries and get potential partners to support its proposed paper on Trade Facilitation in Services (TFS) that seeks to remove unnecessary regulations on trade in services, a ministry official said. "G-20 (Group of 20 major economies) and BRICS (association of emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) are the right fora to build advantage of coalitions," the official said.

Services sector accounts for about 60 per cent in the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and 28 per cent of total employment.

Indian IT industry — which gets 62 per cent of its revenues from the US — is under pressure from Washington's' increasingly protectionist stance on outsourcing work amid rising unemployment in the US. Hence New Delhi's bid to garner international support for free movement of professionals.

The commerce ministry along with the World Bank plans to hold a workshop on TFS next month to support awareness building and better understanding of the issue. "Officials from the OECD will also be part of the workshop," said a person aware of the programme.

The ministry has already organised two sets of seminars with industry chambers to garner support for its proposal.

India had submitted the concept note on reducing regulations involved in trade in services in September last year to the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The note is currently being legally vetted.

India wants TFS to be part of the WTO ministerial meeting in Argentina in December. Incidentally, Argentina will also chair the G-20 summit in 2018.

India's proposal envisages a liberalised visa regime with multiple entry visas, visa-free travel for foreign tourists and long-term visas for business community, among other things.

"The legally vetted paper will be out anytime. We should allow the process to go rather than be afraid of what comes on the table. Let the reactions happen," the commerce ministry official said.

The BRICS countries have been deliberating cooperation on the services statistics and also areas of cooperation on trade facilitation in services. WTO Director General Roberto Azevedo on his visit to India had said that the proposal needs discussion and that India only can get other countries interested in its proposal.

The last time India had used international platforms was to advocate its stance on public stockholding for food security purpose.