Theme: Trade | India's role in shaping the future of global trade

In this episode of the State of the Economy podcast, BusinessLine’s Amiti Sen talks to Ranja Sengupta, Senior Researcher, Third World Network, about the world of global trade, with a special focus on the upcoming 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) of the World Trade Organization.  Sen starts the discussion by shedding light on the pivotal issues facing India and other developing nations at MC13, while highlighting the possibility of introduction of new issues like ‘gender and environment’ into the WTO agenda. As the conversation unfolds, the spotlight shifts to subsidies for fisheries—an issue with profound implications for sustainable development. India, blessed with extensive marine resources, faces the challenge of balancing conservation imperatives with the need to support local fishermen's livelihoods.  The discussion also touches upon the ban on e-commerce duties and its impact on developing countries like India. While initially agreeing to extend the ban, there's growing awareness of the revenue loss and the need to develop domestic e-commerce capabilities.  Throughout the podcast, there's an emphasis on the need for developing countries, particularly India, to protect their interests and negotiate effectively in the WTO. This involves collaborating with other developing countries and leveraging strategic positions to ensure favourable outcomes in the negotiations.  Host: Amiti Sen, Producer: Amitha Rajkumar ----- About the State of the Economy podcast  India’s economy has been hailed as a bright spot amid the general gloom that seems to have enveloped the rest of the world. But several sectors continue to stutter even as others seem set to fire on all cylinders. To help you make sense of the bundle of contradictions that the country is, businessline brings you podcasts with experts ranging from finance and marketing to technology and start-ups