New Delhi India and Britain on Friday concluded the third round of talks for a proposed free trade agreement covering key sectors in New Delhi. The two sides are expected to sign an interim agreement by October.
India’s chief negotiator Nidhi Mani Tripathi tweeted on Sunday, “The third round of India-UK FTA talks concludes with two weeks of intense discussions in Delhi, extra hours to make good progress in policy areas to continue positive dialogue.” Working teams.”
The third round of talks was likely to focus on issues including duty concessions on alcoholic beverages and movement of professionals, among other things. India and the UK had gained significant ground in the last two visits, with the UK agreeing to end duties on Indian rice and textile goods, while India could allow duty-free entry of British apples, medical equipment and machinery. The interim or early harvest agreement aims to cover 65% of goods and up to 40% of services, with coverage in goods expected to go up to 90% in the full agreement.
The agreement is expected to double India-UK bilateral trade to around $100 billion by 2030. An agreement is also expected on mutual recognition of higher education qualifications, said a person aware of the development. In two rounds of talks that began in January, India and the UK have managed to close four of the 26 chapters in the FTA.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, during his visit to India three weeks ago, expressed his support for more skilled visas for Indians, saying the UK was facing a shortage of experts in IT and programming.
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