India-US Trade Forum: Social Security, Visas & Agri Issues

New Delhi, Jan 5 (PTI) India will flag issues such as proposed social security agreement, visas, and promoting agri trade in the meeting of India-US Trade Policy Forum (TPF) during January 13-14, a top government official said.

US Trade Representative Katherine Tai will be here for a meeting with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal.

It will be the 14th ministerial-level meeting of the India-US TPF. India is seeking social security of totalisation agreement with the US.

"There are issues pertaining to table grapes. The US also has certain issues. Social security agreement and mobility are our main focus areas," the official said.

Under the agreement, an expatriate in either country need not contribute to the social security schemes of the host country. It will benefit a number of Indians, particularly from the IT sector, who are working in America and paying social security but are unable to get any benefit out of it.

The last meeting was held in Washington in January 2023. India in that meeting highlighted the delay in issuance of business visas to people from India.

Both countries in the last TPF meet had noted that the movement of professionals and skilled workers and business travellers between the countries contributes to enhancing bilateral economic and technological partnership, the official added.

TPF is a platform to resolve trade and investment issues between the two countries. It has five focus groups -- agriculture, investment, innovation and creativity (intellectual property rights), services and tariff and non-tariff barriers.

The US is the largest trading partner of India. America accounts for about 20 per cent of India's total exports in goods and is a key market for services sectors like IT.

The bilateral trade between the countries has increased to USD 129.4 billion in 2022-23 from USD 120 billion in 2021-22. India received USD 6 billion in foreign direct investment from the US in 2022-23.