1,000 advisers across India to help businesses reap gains of India-UK free trade pact: Piyush Goyal
London, June 26
Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Friday announced the deployment of 1,000 advisory personnel across India and the upgradation of the trade portal to help businesses maximise the benefits of the India-UK free trade agreement, which will come into effect on July 15 and is projected to increase bilateral trade by 25.5 billion pounds annually.
Goyal participated in a series of high-level engagements during the 10th Annual UK-India Week here on Friday, highlighting the opportunities arising from the forthcoming implementation of the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), according to a statement issued by the Commerce Ministry.
Addressing the India Global Forum (IGF) Capital Frontiers Forum, Goyal said that the India-UK partnership has expanded beyond traditional trade to encompass strategic sectors such as technology, sovereign AI, critical minerals, defence and clean energy. He observed that the evolving partnership reflects the growing depth and diversity of bilateral economic engagement.
At a reception hosted by the High Commission of India and FICCI, the minister welcomed the largest and most geographically diverse Indian business delegation to visit the United Kingdom. The delegation included significant participation from enterprises based in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, along with several first-time exporters.
Highlighting the benefits of the India-UK CETA for Indian professionals, Goyal said the agreement provides a five-year exemption from social security contributions for eligible Indian professionals working in the United Kingdom, enabling them to redirect these savings into interest-bearing, tax-free provident fund accounts in India.
The minister also emphasised the importance of strengthening sub-national economic partnerships and highlighted region-to-region linkages, including Birmingham-Gujarat and Manchester-Maharashtra, as important drivers of future bilateral growth.
Underscoring India's emergence as the world's fastest-growing major economy, Goyal encouraged businesses to showcase Brand India with confidence, leverage the country's strengths in manufacturing, services and innovation, and build enduring partnerships with businesses in the United Kingdom. He said the India-UK CETA would enhance market access, improve the competitiveness of Indian enterprises, facilitate greater mobility for professionals and create new opportunities across goods, services and investment.
Goyal said that India today represents trust, talent, inclusive growth and a stable environment, adding that the country offers immense opportunities for global partnerships and co-creation. He emphasised that businesses should seize the opportunities emerging from India's sustained economic growth and expanding global engagement.
The minister further stated that the India-UK partnership holds immense potential for growth. He encouraged Indian businesses to emerge as early movers, adopt international quality standards and showcase Brand India globally while strengthening trade and investment partnerships with the United Kingdom. He also underlined the role of Indian enterprises in contributing towards the country's long-term economic growth aspirations.
— IANS
Reader Comments
1,000 advisers sounds impressive on paper, but implementation will be key. Our trade portals have historically been clunky and user-unfriendly. I hope they're getting proper training on the ground. Also, why only 1,000 for the entire country? We have so many districts that need hand-holding for export readiness. Let's see the actual rollout first.
Birmingham-Gujarat and Manchester-Maharashtra partnerships are exactly what we need! These region-to-region links bring the trade benefits directly to our states. I'm from Gujarat and I can already see our textile exporters getting excited about UK markets. Good move by the government to focus on inclusive growth beyond just Delhi-Mumbai corridors.
I appreciate the ambition but let's be realistic - how many Indian businesses actually know about this trade portal upgrade? We need aggressive awareness campaigns in local languages. My uncle runs a small engineering unit in Coimbatore and had no idea about these opportunities. The advisory team needs to physically visit industrial clusters, not just post press releases.
As someone working in the tech sector, the mention of sovereign AI and critical minerals partnership with the UK is very exciting! We're not just exporting spices and textiles anymore - India is becoming a serious player in deep tech. The 25.5 billion pounds projection is huge. Hope our IT professionals in the UK benefit from the social security exemption too.
Good initiative but I worry about the quality of these 1,000 advisers. Will they be domain experts or just generalists? Small businesses need practical guidance on UK regulations, quality
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