New delhi, Oct. 2 -- As India and the US inch closer to the timeline to finalize a trade deal, both sides are moving towards signing a comprehensive Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) that will cover nearly every aspect of commerce, from tariff reduction and easing of non-tariff barriers to expanded access in services and energy cooperation. The joint statement issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump on February 13 had set the goal of concluding the talks by the fall of 2025. The leaders had resolved to deepen the US-India trade relationship to promote growth that ensures fairness, national security and job creation. To this end, the leaders set a bold new goal for bilateral trade- 'Mission 500'-aiming to more than double total bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030. The proposed trade agreement, for which discussions are underway, saw both sides initiate talks after over a month-long deadlock, with the US delegation visiting New Delhi on September 16, followed by the Indian team, led by union minister Piyush Goyal, visiting Washington and holding talks from September 22 to 24. "The pact will cover key sectors like defence, energy, goods trade, technology, space and atomic energy, but issues such as patents and some regulatory matters will stay outside its scope," said the first among the two cited above. "It will also include services and investment flows, while addressing procedural barriers businesses face in accessing each other's markets." India's exports to the US increased from $34.21 billion in FY25 (April-August) to $40.35 billion in FY26 over the same period, an increase of 18.0%. Imports also grew by 8.5%, from $19.91 billion to $21.61 billion. This brought total bilateral trade between India and the US during the period to $61.96 billion in FY26, up from $54.12 billion in FY25, marking a growth of 14.5%. Queries sent to the ministries of commerce and external affairs remained unanswered. Both sides have held five rounds of face-to-face talks, and the sixth round, which was scheduled to take place from 25 August, was stalled amid a stalemate over the US insistence that India open critical sectors such as agriculture, dairy, and GM crops for US products....