India, Nepal discuss measures to facilitate greater market access for products of both countries

India and Nepal discussed measures to facilitate greater market access for products of both countries. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry in a statement said that during the two day meeting of Inter-Governmental Sub-Committee (IGSC) on Trade, Transit and Cooperation to Control Unauthorised Trade which concluded yesterday both sides reviewed a wide range of issues. It was related to market access, Customs and trade facilitation, standards, food safety, border infrastructure, rail and road connectivity and other trade-related matters.
The Indian delegation was led by Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce, Ujjwal Kumar Ghosh, while the Nepali delegation was led by Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Buddha Bahadur Gurung. The meeting focused on facilitating legitimate trade while strengthening mechanisms to ensure compliance with applicable rules and prevent misuse of preferential trade arrangements. Both sides also reviewed rail and road connectivity, movement of freight, Integrated Check Posts and land-port infrastructure.
The discussions focused on improving the utilisation of existing infrastructure and addressing operational bottlenecks affecting bilateral and transit trade. The Ministry said that India and Nepal share close historical, cultural and economic ties and the discussions at the IGSC are expected to further strengthen bilateral trade, transit connectivity and economic cooperation between the two countries.