New Delhi, June 20 -- Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday said India cannot implement the proposed trade agreement with the United States until it secures a competitive advantage over competing nations, indicating that tariff-related issues remain the final hurdle in the negotiations.

Responding to an ANI question on US Ambassador to India-designate Sergio Gor's statement that the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) is "99 per cent there", Goyal said the framework agreement has already been finalised, but implementation depends on resolving outstanding tariff concerns.

"We have finalised the framework agreement and announced it as well. The Supreme Court's order regarding tariffs came after that," Goyal said at ...