India’s handling of disputes at the WTO over the past few years leaves much to be desired. One reason for this is that key officials are transferred at regular intervals. Be it the dispute on solar, poultry or steel, India has found itself at a disadvantage even when it has won (it won the case against countervailing duties on steel, but the US is delaying implementation of the WTO verdict). While developed members like the US and the EU have the natural advantage of working with a big team of officials and experts compared to India, New Delhi puts itself at an added disadvantage because of transfers of key officials from the Commerce Ministry to other departments from time to time.

For instance, there was an opportunity to appoint former telecom secretary JS Deepak as commerce secretary in 2015. There was a strong buzz when Commerce Secretary Rajiv Kher retired in June 2015 that Deepak would fill the post as he was in the midst of negotiating a number of bilateral trade pacts and had gained experience at the WTO. But it was not to be. The post went to Rita Teotia, a Gujarat cadre IAS officer, while Deepak was sent to the department of IT and telecommunications. His appointment as telecom secretary in January last year was seen as a good move, as he had acquired a lot of experience as joint secretary and was also credited with having successfully carried out the first ever e-auction of spectrum in 2010.

Now, his abrupt return to the commerce ministry as Officer on Special Duty and his being posted as India’s ambassador to the WTO from June doesn’t make much sense, as Deepak is to retire next year. Is it just a coincidence that the transfer orders came days after Deepak had taken on mighty telecom companies, by asking the TRAI to restrict the period of ‘promotional tariffs’? It is a pity that appointments at the top are influenced by factors other than merit.

Deputy Editor

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