Although visiting U.S. Trade Representative >Michael Froman’s qualified “cautiously optimistic” remark (Nov. 25) about further improvement in trade relations with India is understandable from the viewpoint of the U.S. and its interests, he would do well to appreciate the sensibilities, complexities, niceties, subtleties and delicate nature of the issues involved as far as India is concerned and when it comes to the issue of crores of people who are entirely dependent on the subsidised foodgrains regime under the Public Distribution System.
To recall what happened in the past, it was only last July that India pulled the plug on implementing a Trade Facilitation Agreement, linking it to the sensitive and touchy issue of rural poverty in India. It was the same Mr. Froman, who, appreciative of the objectives behind ‘Make in India’, ‘Digital India’ and ‘Smart Cities’, did not miss out on emphasising increasing investments to huge levels as a sine qua non .
R. Sampath,
Chennai
