NEW DELHI: India remains engaged with the United States on the proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), and the first tranche of the deal, focused on addressing reciprocal tariffs, is now “near closure”, Commerce Secretary Shri Rajesh Agrawal said while releasing the October trade data.

Agrawal noted that India and the US have been holding virtual discussions on the BTA for months.The agreement comprises two components, he explained: one that will naturally take more time to negotiate, and a first tranche aimed at resolving tariff-related issues.