The document discusses the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). It was established in 1948 with 23 founding member countries including India. GATT's primary actions were to freeze and reduce tariff levels on commodities to liberalize trade. It played a prominent role in settling trade disputes and brought about significant reductions in tariffs and non-tariff barriers through 8 rounds of negotiations. GATT was created as part of the International Trade Organization but became an independent organization when the ITO failed. In 1994, GATT was replaced by the World Trade Organization.