Significant progress has been made on the much-awaited trade agreement between India and the US. The government has announced that an Indian delegation will travel to the US next week, where the legal text of the deal will be finalised. If all the process goes according to plan, this historic agreement could be signed in March 2026.
The deal went beyond negotiations and reached on paper
The India-US trade agreement is now moving beyond the discussion stage towards actual implementation. On Monday, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal gave important information about the entire process. He said that the draft of the agreement is ready and now a special team of Indian officials will go to America to give it legal form.
'Final touch' to come to Washington
According to the Commerce Secretary, the Indian delegation will visit the US in the week starting February 23. The main purpose of this visit is to finalize the legal text of the agreement, so that no legal hurdles arise in the future.
This important mission will be led by Darpan Jain, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce. The team will meet with American counterparts in Washington to review all the details of the agreement. It is to be noted that continuous discussions are going on between the two countries already through virtual meetings. Now this face-to-face meeting will bring those discussions to a conclusion.
Structure ready, now time for legal agreement
Earlier this month, a joint statement was released between India and the US, announcing that the framework for an interim trade agreement had been finalised.
Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said that the framework of the agreement has been laid down through a joint statement. Now is the stage to convert this framework into a fully legal agreement, which both countries can sign. Simply put, the plan has been approved and now the final documentation process is underway.
March target, but no time frame set
The government says the two countries are aiming to finalize the agreement by March 2026. However, the Commerce Secretary clarified that no specific date has been fixed yet.
He said that while finalizing the legal agreement, several complex issues have to be resolved. If all legal issues are resolved during the Washington meeting, the agreement is likely to be signed in March. Otherwise, the process may be extended till July if deemed necessary, though the government's priority is March itself.
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