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WHAT’S NEW AT CUTS
# 20
July 2004
The Financial Express, Trade negotiators at The definition of non-trade distorting subsides in the Agreement on
Agriculture (AoA) is quite vague and this has been exploited by the
developed countries. The AoA also lays down certain policy-specific
conditions to identify whether a particular subsidy is non-trade distorting
or not. The developing world should understand that
they have a unique opportunity to argue for across-the-board reduction of
all kinds of subsidies. This is because of a growing realisation in the EU
and US that breaking the deadlock on agriculture is a prerequisite for the
success of the ongoing trade negotiations. This is the time…. More on: http://www.cuts-international.org/articles2004.htm#art20_2004 Consumer
organisations, which gathered in Jaipur at a
workshop organised by CUTS International, on Thursday, July 22, 2004
suggested changes in the Rajasthan Electricity Bill 2004 for making it more
consumer-friendly, particularly for agricultural and rural consumers. Participating
in the workshop, Energy Minister, Gajendra Singh Kheenwsar, said that the
State Government is committed to speed up the electricity reforms keeping
in mind common customers and employees of electricity corporations. Gajendra
Haldea, Chief Advisor, National Council for Applied Economic Research, who
has drafted the Rajasthan Electricity Bill 2004, interacted with the
representatives of consumer organisations from all over the state and gave
them information… More on: http://www.cuts-international.org/cutsinmedia2004.htm#CIM33_2004
“Rein in Farm
Subsidies as a Whole”
“CUTS
wants changes in power bill”
FORTHCOMING
EVENTS
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South Asian Civil Society
Network on International Trade Issues (SACSNITI)
CUTS Centre for
International Trade, Economics & Environment (CITEE), in association with
Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Pakistan; Oxfam GB in Pakistan; and
South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics & Environment (SAWTEE), Nepal, is
organising a conference, titled “WTO Post-Cancůn Developments: Options for
South Asia”, on August 17-19, 2004 in Islamabad, Pakistan.
The main objectives of the
events are:
·
To take stock of the developments, which have taken
place vis-ŕ-vis the international trading system after the Cancůn
Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
·
To cross-fertilise views
and experiences of various stakeholders, including government officials, NGOs,
business representatives and media persons from South Asian countries.
·
To explore various options
for South Asian countries with respect to a select set of critical issues.
More
on: http://www.cuts-international.org/forthcoming-events.htm#SACSNITI-conference
CUTS-NCAER
Public Lecture
“Prospects for the Indian
Economy: Curbing Poverty and Boosting Growth”
NCAER Auditorium, New Delhi August 2, 2004
Consumer Unity
and Trust Society (CUTS), and National Council of Applied Economic Research
(NCAER), are jointly organising a public lecture on the “Prospects for the Indian Economy: Curbing
Poverty and Boosting Growth” by Kaushik Basu, C. Marks
Professor of International Studies and Professor of Economics, Cornell
University, USA, at NCAER Auditorium, Parisila Bhawan, Indraprastha Estate, New
Delhi, on Monday, August 2, 2004.
EVENT
--------------------------------------------------------------
Workshop for suggested changes in “
Consumer
organisations gathered in Jaipur at a workshop organised by CUTS International,
on Thursday, July 22, 2004 and suggested changes in the Rajasthan Electricity
Bill 2004 for making it more consumer-friendly, particularly for agricultural
and rural consumers.
More
on:: http://www.cuts-international.org/cutsinmedia2004.htm#CIM32_2004
PUBLICATIONS
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q Research
Report
Trade-Labour
Debate: Path from Doha
The purpose of the study is not to rehearse
the never-ending story on the pros and cons of the trade-labour linkage. It
seeks to assess the current and possible future direction of the debate from
the developing countries’ perspective.
q
Quarterly Newsletters
ReguLetter
In
this quarter, the newsletter covers developments related to competition policy
and economic regulations. Macro and micro issues, restructuring process,
pharmaceuticals sector, telecom, utilities, financial sector and corporate
affairs are also covered in the newsletter.
CUTS in Action
In this quarter, the
newsletter reports on policy and regulatory developments with the aim of
informing people about them as well as building a constituency for independent
regulatory reforms.
q
Monograph
Experiences from a project an
FDI policy, practices & perceptions in Bangladesh, Brazil, Hungary, India, South
Africa, Tanzania and Zambia OR, How To Implement A Multi-Country Project
This paper is the final process report of the project: “Investment For Development”, the aim of which is not only to document
and share the process of implementing the project but also to facilitate
readers to get a bird’s eye view of the nuts and bolts in implementing such
projects, particularly in developing countries across the world.
ARTICLE
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Food Security More Crucial
than Health Under TRIPs (Hindi
Version)
Dainik Bhaskar,
TRIPs is a rent-extracting accord
that has been forced on the poor. However, the issue of public health is but a
small one, and eclipses the more vital issue of food security, says Pradeep
S Mehta, Secretary General, CUTS International. Agriculture is one of the
most highly protected sectors in world trade with maximum tariff and non-tariff
barriers. But the bigger issue here, besides
subsidies…
More
on: http://cuts-international.org/art18h_2004.jpg
CUTS IN MEDIA
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§
UNCTAD calls for South-South
cooperation
Green Times No.19 (
More
on: http://cuts-international.org/cutsinmedia2004.htm#CIM39_2004
§
What lies beneath
The Telegraph,
More on: http://www.cuts-international.org/cutsinmedia2004.htm#CIM32_2004
§
COMESA Drafts Precursor Rules
The Post (
More on: http://www.cuts-international.org/cutsinmedia2004.htm#CIM30_2004
§
Railway report blames train accidents on 'human
failure'
Daily Excelsior,
More on: http://www.cuts-international.org/cutsinmedia2004.htm#CIM29_2004
§
Railway report blames train accidents on 'human
failure'
More on: http://www.cuts-international.org/cutsinmedia2004.htm#CIM27_2004
§
Power-divide draws flak
More on: http://www.cuts-international.org/cutsinmedia2004.htm#CIM31_2004
PRESS RELEASE
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‘Interests
of rural consumers need better protection’
The proposed draft
Rajasthan Electricity Bill 2004 aims at promoting competition and efficiency in
electricity generation, transmission and distribution, which is a welcome move;
however it does not adequately address genuine
concerns of rural consumers at large. Based upon the outcome of this survey,
CUTS has submitted a detailed memorandum to the State government demanding
incorporating the suggested improvements in the Bill.
More on: http://www.cuts-international.org/news-cuts1.htm#press2004-26
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Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS)
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Phone: 91.141.228 2821, Fax: 91.141.228 2485 Email: cuts@cuts.org