In U.S. Question 15, we asked India to describe its trade policy making apparatus. India responded only that it arrives at a government consensus on trade policy and negotiating positions "through a process of continuous dialogue with all stakeholders… Intra governmental consultations are also held on cross-cutting issues before formulating the trade policy & the negotiating positions."
Our Follow-Up Question: How does India ensure that all interested parties, including foreign governments, investors and manufacturers, have the opportunity for input on all trade-related policies before they are implemented? For example, are ministries required by law to issue public requests for comment or draft regulations, or does each ministry have discretion to take such actions? In addition, what are the interagency institutions and/or mechanisms (such as the Committee of Secretaries) that facilitate the intra-governmental consultations referenced in India's response?
Reply: As stated in the reply, trade policy measures are taken after wide consultation with the stake holders. These are decided by the Central Government and are made available in the public domain. Nature of consultation would depend amongst others on a number of factors such as the gravity of the matter, the international commitments (if any), the implementation and the effective time, implication on the rules and regulations of the other departments etc.
