These remedies have been provided under Article 15 of the Anti-Dumping Agreement by way of special and differential treatment provisions in favour of developing countries, commerce and industry minister Murasoli Maran said.

"We have been pursuing these proposals along with a group of like-minded developing countries," he stated.

Writing in the February issue of `India and the WTO,' a monthly magazine brought out by the commerce ministry, Mr Maran has clarified that anti-dumping and countervailing duty are intended to remove unfair trade practices and are not aimed at retarding competition, nor are they targeted against any specific country or countries.

"Anti-dumping measures, as we see them, is largely a mechanism to provide a level playing field and a form of protection allowed under the multilateral trading system, that is compatible, with open, fair and undistorted competition," he explained. "As we approach a new era of reduced trade barriers, it is imperative that we seize opportunities to take full advantage of our latent potential and carve a niche for ourselves in the new global economy," he said.

The minister said that the government is involved in the process of further strengthening the Anti-Dumping Directorate in his ministry, and also building a synergy with the Safeguards Cell in the finance ministry.

The time taken by the directorate in recommending provisional and final duties against dumped imports compares favourably with that taken by major trading nations.

The minister said that while adhering to the rules and disciplines mandated by the WTO obligations regarding anti-dumping investigations, "we are endeavouring to stick to the statutory time in arriving at the anti-dumping findings."

For instance, the time taken by the directorate for reaching its preliminary findings is about 3-4 months compared to about 4-5 months taken by the US.

The European Union on the other hand takes about 7-8 months, Australia about 5 months and New Zealand about 5-6 months for the same purpose.

The Directorate headed by an additional secretary in the commerce ministry is assisted by a joint secretary, a director, four investigating officers, three costing officers and a section officer. However, there has been no delay in at any point in the completion of cases due to lack of adequate staff, Mr Maran maintained.