Department of Commerce Govt of India
Trade Policy Division
Brief on Seventh (7th) Trade Policy Review of India by the WTO, January 2021
1-The 7th Trade Policy Review (TPR) of India was held on 6th & 8th January 2021 at the WTO,
Geneva. The TPR is an important pillar of the WTO’s functioning, and enables an assessment of
the trade policies and practices of the member countries. India’s TPR is held every 5 years, with
the last one being in June 2015.
2. The TPR exercise began almost one and half year before the scheduled date of the review
and included preparation of two important reports: one by the WTO Secretariat and another by the
Government of India. These two Reports were circulated to all Members, and formed the basis for
member’s question as well as the discussions during the TPR meetings.
3. India’s 7th Review attracted unprecedented interest from fellow WTO members and about
1100 written questions were received on India’s trade and economic policies. In addition, several
oral interventions were made by the members during the TPR meetings to understand the direction
of the trade policy of India.
4. India’s team demonstrated a professional approach in delivering consistent responses to all
written / oral queries, in coordination with more than 40 different Ministries / Agencies. These
efforts were preceded by detailed preparation while adhering to tight timelines.
5. The members recognized and appreciated the reform measures announced by the
Government and also applauded India’s active role and leadership in the WTO and constructive
engagement in various WTO processes. Overall, the TPR was received well and appreciated by
the fellow members as well as the WTO Secretariat.
6. The 7th TPR of India got concluded with India effectively answering all the supplementary
questions/details asked for by the WTO members within a month of the TPR meetings.