The National Trade Facilitation Action Plan has been formulated for implementation of the World Trade Organisation Trade Facilitation Agreement in India. Between which years is this action plan scheduled to be implemented?

Introduction / Context:
Trade facilitation refers to simplifying, modernising, and harmonising export and import processes so that goods can move across borders more quickly and at lower cost. After the World Trade Organisation Trade Facilitation Agreement came into force, member countries, including India, prepared national action plans to implement its provisions. India created the National Trade Facilitation Action Plan, which covers specific years and targets. This question asks you to identify the correct time period for which this plan was scheduled to be implemented.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The plan mentioned is the National Trade Facilitation Action Plan for implementing the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement.
• The options list time ranges: 2017 to 2020, 2018 to 2020, 2018 to 2021, and 2019 to 2022.
• The question expects knowledge of the official implementation period of the plan, not just the year it was launched.
• We assume awareness of major policy timelines in India related to ease of doing business.

Concept / Approach:
India launched the National Trade Facilitation Action Plan to cover the period from 2017 to 2020. The plan contained a detailed list of activities, with timelines aligned to the obligations and spirit of the Trade Facilitation Agreement, and aimed to reduce cargo release time and improve the business environment. Many exam oriented current affairs sources clearly mention 2017 to 2020 as the official duration. Therefore, the correct approach is to recall this specific timeline rather than guessing any three year block around that period.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that the Trade Facilitation Agreement at the WTO level started to be implemented in the mid 2010s and that India responded with a national plan soon after. Step 2: Remember reading that the National Trade Facilitation Action Plan for India is for the years 2017 to 2020. Step 3: Look at the options: 2017-20, 2018-20, 2018-21, and 2019-22. Step 4: Identify 2017-20 as the option that exactly matches the remembered timeline. Step 5: Reject the other options because they shift either the start year or the end year away from the official period.

Verification / Alternative check:
An alternative check is to think about the duration: the plan was widely described as a three year roadmap rather than a four year or two year plan. Among the given choices, only 2017-20 and 2018-20 cover three years, while 2018-21 and 2019-22 stretch over four years. Next, recall that the plan was launched around mid 2017, which makes 2017-20 the more natural choice. Combining the triple check of duration, launch year, and repeated mention in current affairs notes confirms that 2017 to 2020 is the correct timeframe.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
2018-20 is wrong because it starts the plan one year late compared to the actual launch and the official documentation. 2018-21 is incorrect because it both starts late and extends beyond the known closing year, changing the duration. 2019-22 is clearly not correct, as it does not align with the initial implementation phase of the Trade Facilitation Agreement in India. None of these altered ranges match the three year period associated with the National Trade Facilitation Action Plan.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to focus on the approximate time rather than the exact range and to pick any option that looks like an early three year block, such as 2018-20. Another pitfall is confusing this action plan with other later phases or related logistics policies that may have different time spans. In exam preparation, it is important to note not only the name of a policy but also the key years attached to it. Writing down the start and end years of major schemes in a separate list can help fix them clearly in memory and prevent such confusion.

Final Answer:
The correct answer is 2017-20, because the National Trade Facilitation Action Plan for implementing the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement in India was scheduled to be implemented from 2017 to 2020.