India receives proposal from Georgia to negotiate FTA: Nirmala Sitharaman

NEW DELHI: The government today said it has received a proposal from Georgia to negotiate a free trade agreements (FTA).

Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the Joint Feasibility Study with Georgia will be conducted to examine the feasibility of the proposed FTA.

She also said that the joint feasibility study group report between the Eurasian Economic Union and its member states and India has been accepted and the first meeting of Trade Negotiation Committee will held after mutual consent.

These "agreements are likely to provide opportunities for generating economic growth and employment as well as increase mutual investment flows," Sitharaman said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

Replying to a separate question she said India continues to engage the the US administration for better access of its professionals in America.

"H-1B and L-1 visa issues, including increase in visa processing fees, high rejection rates and other difficulties faced by the Indian services companies, have been raised with the US at various levels," she added.

India has also taken up the matter on US visa fee hike in the Dispute Settlement Body of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

On a separate question on exports, she said there were 36 alerts received for export of fresh fruits and vegetables to EU and 41 number of shipments of these agri-commodities to the US were issued import refusal.

"The rejections were imposed on the charge of adulteration, pesticide residue, contamination, misbranding and product forbidden or restricted for sale," she said.