New Delhi, April 21 -- Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said India hopes to finalize the first tranche of a bilateral trade agreement with the US by the end of the American autumn season that runs from mid-September to mid-December.

Speaking at an interaction with the Indian diaspora in San Francisco, Sitharaman said talks are progressing steadily, with both sides working to resolve outstanding issues and laying the groundwork for a broader trade partnership.

"The progress of the agreement (of the trade agreement) that we are working on, at least the first tranche, is something which we hope to conclude positively by the fall of this year," she said.

Fall is used for autumn in North America.

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