Surjit Bhalla urges India-US trade deal

Economist Surjit Bhalla, in an interview with ANI, argued that a comprehensive India-US trade agreement is essential for India's growth and its Viksit Bharat goal by 2047. He called the 30-year delay a major policy failure, attributing it to resistance from entrenched interests within India's policymaking system, which he termed the 'deep state'. Bhalla warned that continued delays benefit China, as China gains from the lack of a deal. He emphasized that such a deal would boost competition, technology access, and market opportunities, and advised Prime Minister Narendra Modi to prioritize it. Bhalla also noted that trade agreements with Japan, the EU, or the UK cannot substitute for a US deal.