Negotiations for the India-UK free trade agreement are in the final stage. A high-level Indian delegation is heading to London to resolve remaining issues on goods, services, and rules of origin. The negotiations cover 26 chapters, including market access, skilled professionals, and import duties. The bilateral trade between India and the UK increased to USD 20.36 billion in 2022-23.
India is headed for general elections in April-May while polls in the UK are to take place by January next year. While most of the 26 chapters of the pact, dealing with the opening up of varied sectors, are either closed or at an advanced stage of negotiations, some issues related to rules of origin and market access remain unresolved.
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has confirmed that only a few ticklist issues are left needs to be sorted out in the India-UK free-trade agreement (FTA). According to the government, India-UK free trade agreement talks completed 13 rounds of negotiations that took place from 18 September to 15 December. The fourteenth round of negotiations are expected to begin this month.
Indian businesses are demanding greater access to the UK market for its qualified workers from areas such as IT and healthcare, as well as market access for a variety of commodities at zero customs duties