The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) is a prominent New Delhi, India-based research institute (institution) dedicated to providing high-quality, jargon-free outputs for governments and industry. Its core focus is on development and poverty reduction, with main areas of activity including trade policy, technology, and climate change. The GTRI was founded by Mr. Ajay Srivastava, an Indian Trade Service officer who took Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) from the Government of India in March 2022. It was created to solve the problem of providing insightful, data-driven analysis on complex global trade dynamics to inform policy decisions.
The GTRI works by producing reports and research on topics such as Trade Agreements, WTO issues, and Foreign Trade Policy. It offers data and practice-driven insights and training to trade professionals. For instance, it proposed a three-step strategy to protect India-U.S. trade interests, which included halting crude oil imports from sanctioned Russian firms and demanding the withdrawal of the 25% “Russian oil” tariff. It also proposed a 'zero-for-zero' tariff strategy to the Government of India to counter planned reciprocal tariff hikes by the U.S.. The GTRI connects directly to the Government of India and its trade negotiations, analyzing concepts like tariff parity and regulatory sovereignty. Recent analysis includes reports on India's Quality-Control Reforms and the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court striking down reciprocal tariffs on the proposed India-U.S. Bilateral Trade Agreement.