US team may defer Aug 25 India visit for trade pact talks: Official
New Delhi, Aug 16 (PTI): A US team, which was scheduled to visit India from August 25, for the next round of negotiations for the proposed bilateral trade agreement is likely to defer the meeting to a later date, an official said.
So far, five rounds of talks have been completed for the proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA) and a US team is scheduled to visit India for the sixth round of talks.
The negotiations were scheduled from August 25-29.
"This visit is likely to be rescheduled," the official, who did not wish to be named, said.
Deferment or rescheduling of the meeting assumes significance as the US has announced a staggering 50 per cent duty on Indian goods.
The US is pressing for greater market access in politically sensitive areas such as agri and dairy sectors, which India cannot accept as it affects the livelihood of small and marginal farmers.
India has stated that it will not compromise the interests of farmers and cattle rearers.
The US and India have announced plans to conclude the first phase of BTA by fall (September-October) of 2025. The two countries are aiming at more than doubling the bilateral trade to USD 500 billion by 2030, from the present USD 191 billion.
While the 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods entering the US has come into effect from August 7, an additional 25 per cent, was announced on India as penalty for buying crude oil and military equipment from Russia, will come into effect from August 27.
During April-July, the country's exports to the US increased 21.64 per cent to USD 33.53 billion, while imports rose 12.33 per cent to USD 17.41 billion, according to commerce ministry data.
The US was the largest trading partner of India in the April-July period (USD 12.56 billion bilateral trade) 2025-26. India's exports to America are recording positive growth since April this year.
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Rickelton's ton in vain as SRH beat MI by 6 wickets
Mumbai (PTI): Ryan Rickelton's whirlwind unbeaten ton was overshadowed by Heinrich Klaasen's unbeaten 65 as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets in an IPL match here on Wednesday.
Chasing an imposing 244-run target, Travis Head (76 off 30) and Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) shared 129 runs for the opening wicket to set the platform for SRH.
Klaasen (65 not out off 30 balls) then displayed his all-round hitting abilities to guide SRH home with the help of Nitish Kumar Reddy (21) and Salil Arora (30 not out off 10) in 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Rickelton's knock powered MI to 243 for five.
MI rode on a 93-run stand between Rickelton (123 not out off 55 balls) and Will Jacks (46 off 22) in 7.1 overs for the opening stand to power the side.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya scored a valuable 31 off 15 balls before being dismissed.
Praful Hinge (2/54), Eshan Malinga (1/29), Sakib Hasan (1/39) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/31) were the wicket-takers for SRH.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indian: 243 for 5 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 123 not out; Praful Hinge 2/54).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 249 for 4 in 18.4 overs (Travis Head 76, Heinrich Klaasen 65 not out; AM Ghazanfar 2/51).
