Chanakya's message

The concept of trade facilitation is in the Arthashastra. Or so says Pascal Lamy, the World Trade Organisation’s colourful director-general. Speaking at a session on global emerging nations at the Confederation of Indian Industry summit on Monday, Lamy was making the point that India and other emerging countries needed to play a greater role in promoting trade facilitation. Taking a sidelong look at his fellow panelist, Commerce and Industries Minister Anand Sharma, he said, “I recently found out that India is the father of trade facilitation,” referring to the Arthashastra. India and other countries should learn from this treatise that was written more than 2,000 years ago, he added. He appeared to have surprised Sharma as much as the rest of the audience.