India can't ban Chinese manja

Hyderabad: India cannot ban the import of ‘Chinese manja’ due to its commitment to the World Trade Organisation. This came to light recently in a reply filed by the deputy director of Directorate General of Foreign Trade to Friends of Snakes society member C.V. Viswesh. When John Rinaldi, a member of Friends of Snakes Society, was grievously injured earlier this year due to Chinese manja, Mr Viswesh had moved the National Human Rights Commission in February against the DGFT, seeking to put Chinese manja in the negative list of imports.

The NHRC directed the DGFT to take appropriate action within eight weeks and inform Mr Viswesh of the action taken. Following this, the DGFT replied recently, citing two major issues which do not allow banning of Chinese manja. The DGFT said that Chinese manja was not imported under this name but as synthetic or plastic thread under four different commodity heads. An outright ban across these four heads would not be possible; it would violate India's commitments to the WTO. The DGFT also said plastic threads was manufactured domestically; banning it would lead to violation of the Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20.

The Union ministry of commerce and industry has forwarded a copy of the letter to chief secretaries of all states to take necessary action at the retail level. Chinese manja is banned in a few states including Telangana and AP.