With reference to “India – Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (Ind-Aus ECTA),” which of the following statements is/are correct?1.This is a first-of-its-kind initiative of FTAs.2.The meeting was attended by the Commerce Secretary of India, Shri Sunil Barthwal.Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

1. A

   Only 2

   Option (a) claims that only statement 2 is correct, ignoring the first statement. Statement 1 is also correct as the agreement represents a pioneering bilateral trade initiative with a developed country in a decade. Therefore, this option fails to recognize the validity of both statements.

2. B

   Neither 1 nor 2

   Option (b) asserts that neither statement 1 nor statement 2 is correct. However, both statements regarding the unique nature of the FTA and the participation of the Indian Commerce Secretary are factually accurate. Consequently, dismissing both statements makes this choice incorrect.

3. C

   Only 1

   Option (c) states that only statement 1 is correct, thereby rejecting the second statement. Official records confirm that the Commerce Secretary Shri Sunil Barthwal did participate in the key implementation meetings. Thus, restricting correctness to only the first statement is wrong.

4. D

   Both 1 and 2

   Option (d) correctly concludes that both statement 1 and statement 2 are correct. The India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement stands as a landmark first-of-its-kind trade pact with a major developed nation for India in decades. Furthermore, senior bureaucratic leadership including Commerce Secretary Shri Sunil Barthwal actively steered its operationalization and review meetings to boost bilateral commerce.

Summary. Official key is (d) because both statements provided regarding the India-Australia ECTA are entirely accurate. Statement 1 correctly highlights its pioneering nature as a bilateral trade agreement, while statement 2 accurately notes the involvement of India's Commerce Secretary Shri Sunil Barthwal. Aspirants often overlook high-level bureaucratic participation details, making it essential to verify such committee and delegation meetings. By affirming both points, option (d) captures the complete and correct factual scope of the question.