"We have just finalised our initial conditional offer in services. We have offered enhanced access in terms of larger number of sectors and also introduced the category of contractual service suppliers," junior commerce minister S.B. Mookherjee said at an Asia Tech summit in New Delhi.

"We hope through this to empower ourselves to seek similar commitments from our trading partners," he said, adding that India's stance for liberalisation of trade in services was derived from its strength in information technology.

He added India would measure the success of trade negotiations on the services sector based on the extent of crossborder movement of people allowed and provisions enabling it to attract more foreign investment.

"Indian IT companies and professionals have proved themselves to be the best in the world. We are trying, through the negotiations at the World Trade Organisation, to create an even more conducive environment for the export of services by the Indian information technology sector," he added.

"Based on the trend in negotiations and subject to realisation of our expectations for better access to our professionals, we may be able to further improve our offer in the course of negotiations," Mookherjee said.

India's export of services zoomed to 20.7 billion dollars by 2002 from a level of 6.7 billion dollars in 1995, spearheaded by India's booming information technology sector.

India's farm-dependent economy has also been changing rapidly and the services sector now accounts for 50 percent of the gross domestic product.

SPACE.WIRE