Senior ministers Piyush Goyal, S Jaishankar in the US to hold trade, bilateral talks 

Senior union minister Piyush Goyal and S Jaishankar will hold trade and bilateral talks respectively in the US. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will lead an official delegation to discuss the trade deal, while External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for bilateral discussions. 

Goyal is also expected to meet USTR Jamieson Greer in New York City. The delegation led by Goyal will hold talks with the US team to take the trade discussions further, and aim to achieve the early conclusion of a mutually-beneficial trade agreement. Goyal will be accompanied by special secretary in the ministry Rajesh Agrawal, along with other officials. 

This meeting comes in the heels of the recently-concluded discussions between US Chief Negotiator Brendan Lynch and Rajesh Agrawal on the proposed bilateral trade agreement.

Meanwhile, Jaishankar and Rubio will hold a meeting in New York City on Monday morning. This will be the first face-to-face meeting between Jaishankar and Rubio after Trump imposed 25 per cent tariff on India for the purchase of Russian oil, apart from the previous 25 per cent tariff. 

Jaishankar arrived in New York for the high-level UNGA week, and will hold a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings on the sidelines of the session. He will also deliver the national statement at the General Debate on September 27 from the iconic green UNGA podium.    

In February, New Delhi and Washington directed their officials to negotiate a proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA). The plan is to conclude the first tranche of the pact by the fall of 2025, between October and November. The agreement aims to more than double bilateral trade to USD 500 billion by 2030, up from the current USD 191 billion. 

Moreover, the ministers’ visits gains further importance following the US administration's sudden decision to increase the application fee for H-1B visas to USD 100,000. Industry body Nasscom stated on Saturday that the US move will affect India's technology services companies. It warned that business continuity for onshore projects may be disrupted, requiring adjustments.