Navnit’s extension comes ahead of the thirteenth ministerial conference of the WTO in February 2024 where India is supporting providing flexibilities to developing countries facing food insecurity crises, to subsidise farmers beyond the minimal amount of subsidies allowed at WTO. India is expecting a decision on extending the global intellectual property rights (IPR) waiver to Covid therapeutics and diagnostics, a flexibility available to Covid vaccines at present.

It may be underlined that Geneva (WTO) post falls under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Commerce. Navneet’s tenure was supposed to end today (28.06.2023).