India, being a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), has been a signatory to numerous trade agreements and treaties since its inception in 1995. The WTO is an international organization that aims to regulate and monitor the global trade of goods and services.
One of the most significant agreements that India has signed with the WTO is the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), which lays down the rules for the protection of intellectual property, including patents, copyrights, and trademarks.
Other crucial agreements that India has signed with the WTO include the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the Agreement on Agriculture, and the Agreement on Services, among others.
In terms of who signed these agreements on behalf of India, it varies depending on the specific agreement and the time of signing. However, in most cases, the Minister of Commerce and Industry, who is responsible for overseeing India`s trade policies, has been the signatory for these agreements.
For instance, during the signing of the TRIPS agreement in 1994, P. Chidambaram, the then-Minister of Commerce and Industry, signed on behalf of India. Similarly, during the signing of the Agreement on Agriculture in 1995, the signatory for India was Kamal Nath, the then-Minister of Commerce and Industry.
In recent times, the current Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, has been actively involved in India`s trade negotiations and has signed several critical agreements on behalf of India.
It is worth noting that while the Ministry of Commerce and Industry plays a prominent role in India`s trade negotiations, other government bodies, including the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of External Affairs, are involved in the process and may also sign trade agreements on behalf of India.
In conclusion, India has signed numerous trade agreements with the WTO, and the signatories for these agreements have varied over time. However, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has typically been the signatory for most of these agreements, with other government bodies also playing a role in the process.