CRIT Centres Strengthening India’s Trade Capacity, Says Commerce Secretary
Dignitaries during the 8th Anniversary Celebration of the Centre for Trade and Investment Law (CTIL) at the Prime Minister’s Museum and Library, Teen Murthi House in New Delhi on Wednesday
New Delhi, August 27: The Centre for Research on International Trade (CRIT) centres are playing a pivotal role in advancing India’s trade interests, Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said on Wednesday. He was addressing the 8th Anniversary Celebration of the Centre for Trade and Investment Law (CTIL) at the Prime Minister’s Museum and Library, Teen Murthi House in New Delhi.
Barthwal underlined that the centres’ work is closely aligned with India’s national priorities. He stressed that their creation was vital to maintain confidentiality in trade negotiations while simultaneously developing strong institutional expertise within the government.
Former Chief Justice of India, Justice DY Chandrachud, who graced the event as Chief Guest, highlighted the strategic role of lawyers and think tanks in building state capacity. He said CTIL has enhanced the government’s capabilities by providing expertise in trade and investment law, which is already showing results in negotiations and dispute settlements. Pointing to experiential learning initiatives such as TradeLab, Justice Chandrachud called for their expansion across law schools to nurture future trade law experts.
Professor James J. Nedumpara, Head of CTIL, presented an overview of the Centre’s contributions, ranging from trade negotiations and legislative drafting to dispute resolution and rule-making. He also detailed CTIL’s academic collaborations and policy-oriented research since its inception.
The anniversary event also featured Dr. Rakesh Mohan Joshi, Vice-Chancellor of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, who delivered the Vice-Chancellor’s Address. Senior government officials, including Satya Srinivas, Special Secretary, Department of Commerce, along with lawyers and students, were present.
To mark the occasion, CTIL launched two publications — the annual CTIL Magazine themed “Reimagining International Economic Law: Reform, Resilience, Rebuild” and a book titled “Bespoke Treaties or Standard Models? – A Study of International Investment Treaty Provisions of India’s Key Trade Partners”, published by LexisNexis.
