Chief negotiator for the US trade deal, Rajesh Agrawal, IAS (1994 batch), on Wednesday assumed charge as Commerce Secretary, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a statement. “Agrawal is an accomplished administrator with three decades of experience in governance, policymaking and implementation across diverse sectors, including skilling, human resource development, apprenticeship, power, fertilisers, agriculture, and MSMEs. He has been instrumental in shaping the country’s skill development policies, represented India at the WorldSkills Governing Council for three years, and steered sectoral reforms in states such as Manipur, Jharkhand, and Bihar,” the ministry said. Prior to his current assignment, Agrawal was overseeing India’s trade negotiations with various countries under free trade agreements. He was the chief negotiator for the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, the India-Australia CECA, and the review of the ASEAN FTA. He was also in charge of export promotion for agriculture and allied sectors, the ministry said.
