New Delhi, Oct. 13 -- India and the United States are moving steadily towards the conclusion of the first tranche of their Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), with both sides expressing optimism about sealing the deal by the fall deadline, government sources told ANI on Monday.

According to government officials, a high-level Indian trade delegation is set to travel to Washington this week for another round of negotiations aimed at resolving pending issues and finalising the initial segment of the agreement.

"The discussions with the US are progressing on a positive path. Both sides are hopeful that the first tranche of the Bilateral Trade Agreement will be concluded within the stipulated fall timeline," a senior government source told ANI....