India, UK aim to sign free-trade agreement by July; legal vetting on

After a long delay, New Delhi and London are aiming at signing the free-trade agreement (FTA) by July, leading to Indian exporters of labour-intensive products such as textiles, machinery, automobile parts, and marine products getting greater market access.

Signing a trade deal with the United Kingdom (UK) would be one of the main priorities of India’s National Democratic Alliance-led government, which is now eyeing a third consecutive term.

“The legal vetting of the trade deal is on. Only one per cent of the deal needs to be finalised. Even if we iron out the last few issues, the deal cannot