India's investment treaties progress in BITs and pieces

Though it is still unclear if the proposed India-US bilateral trade agreement (BTA) will have clauses on investment protection, it makes sense to assess the bilateral investment treaties (BITs) that India has signed with other countries after amending the model framework in 2015, which came into effect from 2016.

- INDIVJAL DHASMANA

A BIT is an agreement between two countries that sets the terms for private investments of one country in the other. The objectives of these agreements are to promote and protect investments through a stable legal environment for investors in both countries.

India had terminated its BITs with 77 countries after the new framework came into effect as those were based on the old framework of 1993, while it had earlier signed such an agreement with 86 countries.