India Sticks To Tough Stand; PM, FM, Nirmala Discuss WTO Pact

NEW DELHI: India is unlikely to yield to pressure of developed nations on pushing the WTO's Bali agreement without addressing New Delhi's concern on food security issues at the Geneva meeting.

The issue was deliberated at the highest level at a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meeting to decide on India's stand was attended by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

"India's stand is clear. It will not move forward on trade facilitation agreement (TFA) in absence of a concrete framework to find a permanent solution on public food stockpile which is necessary for the food security programme," sources said.

A formal decision on India's stand on the vexed WTO issue will be taken at the meeting of the Union Cabinet tomorrow.

The General Council of the 160-member WTO is meeting in Geneva on Thursday to adopt the trade facilitation deal and India's stand on the issue will be crucial. The global trade body will find it difficult to adopt the TFA without India's approval.

Sources said the developed countries will have to give a concrete framework to find a permanent solution for India's public stock holding issue and without that New Delhi will not adopt the TFA protocol.