{
  "id": 12791728,
  "title": "India is signing bilateral investment treaties again. What changed after the 2016 reset?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/india-is-signing-bilateral-investment-treaties-again-what-changed",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-08T04:48:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-economics/india-new-bilateral-investment-treaty-bit-framework-10911841/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Following the 2016-17 unilateral termination of multiple bilateral investment treaties (BITs) by India, the government has embarked on overhauling its investment treaty network, with the aim of signing 4-5 agreements by year-end, according to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The new BIT template is expected to be approved by the Cabinet soon. Several fresh agreements, including with Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the UAE, have already been inked under this new framework. These BITs are designed to promote, protect, and clarify private investment in either nation. The new BITs emphasize a more flexible approach to exhaustion of local remedies (ELR), allowing foreign investors to seek redress in host state domestic courts or administrative bodies before filing international claims. However, India has not yet agreed to a one-year ELR rule demanded by Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-India BIT, for instance, stipulates that investors can turn to international arbitration within two years. The government's cautious stance on BITs reflects its belief in balancing investor protection with the state's right to regulate in the public interest.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}