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      NEW DELHI, MAR 9: India and the US will sign a crucial agreement on March 17, laying down fresh rules and objectives for mutual trade and investment. commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma  would be going to Washington for signing of the Framework for Cooperation in Trade and Investment. The two countries have been engaedin negotiating this pact for the last few years with an intention to remove impediments in their economic relations. The US has been seeking greater market access in India and raising concern over protection of the intellectual property rights (IPR). However, India said it has an excellent record in protection of IPR.

          In the fiscal 2008-09. India US trade aggregated at about USD 39.71 billion. The US was India’s third largest partner both in trade and investment in the last financial year. The two countries already have an institu tional arrangement for promoting their economic ties, The India-US Trade Policy Forum created in 2005 has been serving,” a core element of the economics, trade  and agriculture pillar of the Strategic Dialogue and remains the principal bilateral forum for discussing trade and inestment,” the trade agenda of the US President Barack Obama for 2010 has said.