Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has made it clear that the long-pending trade agreement between India and the US will be formalised soon. She said that the ongoing talks with the US are now in the final stages. She made these key remarks as part of the IMF-World Bank annual meetings being held in Bangkok.

Nirmala said that Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal had informed her that the first phase of the agreement has already been finalised and a legal draft is currently being prepared for it. She expressed hope that the agreement will be signed soon. She said that steps are being taken to complete this process as soon as possible keeping in mind the bilateral economic and trade interests of both countries, in addition to international trade.

The Minister also spoke on the performance of the Indian economy in the meeting. He said that despite many uncertainties globally, India is achieving steady growth. She recalled that in the post-Covid pandemic period, India has been one of the fastest growing major economies in the world for the last four to five years.

She explained that this was possible due to the government's inclusive growth policies, investments in skill development, and strict fiscal discipline. She made it clear on this occasion that the government is fully accountable for the use of public money.