USTR Raises MRP Labelling Issue with Nirmala

Minister of Commerce and Industry of India Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Mr. Michael Froman met in New Delhi on November 25, 2014 for the eighth ministerial-level meeting of the India-United States Trade Policy Forum (TPF).

The USTR wants potential reconciliation of the definition of wholesale pack between Departments, forthcoming rules to allow stickering of maximum retail price at the port, and timely implementation efforts concerning these issues.

The United States took note of India’s interest in engaging on social security totalization, and agreed to review any information provided by India about developments in its social security regime. They decided to continue their engagement on visa issues, and the United States took note of India's interest in ensuring easier access for Indian professionals in the United States.

Intellectual Property and related issues

Recognizing the shared interest of our creative industries, India and the United States agreed to deepen cooperation to build capacity and generate awareness in the field of copyright.

Minister Sitharaman highlighted India’s work on a new intellectual property rights (IPR) policy which would stimulate innovation across sectors in the country. The United States agreed to share information on this subject to support India’s on-going efforts.

India and the United States recognize the importance of trade secrets protection to attracting investment and agree to exchange information on best legal practices in this area.

World Trade Organization

Minister Sitharaman and Ambassador Froman expressed satisfaction at the recent understanding between India and the United States on the issue of public stockholding for food security purposes and the Trade Facilitation Agreement as a follow-up to the discussions between Prime Minister Modi and President Obama. They committed to working with other WTO Members to ensure that the WTO General Council takes this understanding forward towards a satisfactory outcome.

Private Sector Advisory Group

Minister Sitharaman and Ambassador Froman encouraged the continued work of the United States-India Private Sector Advisory Group (PSAG), which had been created under the TPF to provide strategic advice. Minister Sitharaman and Ambassador Froman expect that the work of TPF will benefit from the depth, breadth, and diversity of expertise of the PSAG in trade and international affairs in advance of the 2015 TPF meeting to be held in Washington, DC.