New Delhi, April 16 -- A team of Indian officials led by chief negotiator Darpan Jain will visit the US for three days from April 20 to advance bilateral trade talks under the February 7 framework, with necessary changes to make it legally tenable and to ensure comparative benefits for both sides, officials said. While the two sides have remained engaged virtually, this will be the first in-person meeting of the negotiating teams in two-three months, officials said, requesting anonymity. Commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal confirmed the visit. "We are looking at finalising the legal agreement, which is a logical follow-up of the joint statement released on February 7. There is a need for further discussions and follow-up engagement to take this forward," he said. The joint statement had outlined a framework for an interim, reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade deal. Officials said discussions will cover all pending issues, including recent investigations launched by the US Trade Representative (USTR) against several countries, including India. "Both sides will sit together and discuss how these issues need to be addressed," one official said, adding that timelines and next steps will be finalised as part of the engagement. HT reported on April 10 that India is likely to seek preferential market access for its exports under the new US tariff framework, aiming for an edge over competing countries. The visit comes as both sides attempt to rebuild the proposed bilateral trade agreement after the US Supreme Court on February 20 struck down President Donald Trump's sweeping global tariffs, ruling that they exceeded his statutory authority. The decision invalidated the proposed 18% tariff on Indian goods....