Consider the following statements:
- 1.India has ratified the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) of WTO.
- 2.TFA is a part of WTO’s Bali Ministerial Package of 2013.
- 3.TFA came into force in January 2016.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only
Statements 1 and 2 are correct: India ratified the WTO's Trade Facilitation Agreement in April 2016, and the TFA was concluded at the 2013 Bali Ministerial Conference. Statement 3 is wrong, because the TFA entered into force on 22 February 2017.
- ✓ 1. India handed its instrument of ratification to the WTO Director-General in April 2016 and was the 76th WTO member to accept the TFA.
- ✓ 2. WTO members concluded the TFA at the 2013 Bali Ministerial Conference, so it belongs to the Bali package.
- ✗ 3. The TFA came into force only when two-thirds of WTO members had ratified it, on 22 February 2017, not in January 2016.
Remember · WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement: concluded at Bali (Dec 2013), India ratified April 2016, in force 22 February 2017.
Sources
- WTO news, 21 April 2016: India ratifies Trade Facilitation Agreement ↗ “India is the 76th WTO member to accept the TFA.”
- WTO: Trade facilitation, the Agreement ↗ “The TFA entered into force on 22 February 2017 after two-thirds of the WTO membership completed their domestic ratification process. … WTO members concluded negotiations at the 2013 Bali Ministerial Conference on the landmark Trade Facilitation Agreement”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2017, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·