India recalibrates FTA strategy amid past challenges and rising imports

Standard operating procedure will take into account strategy towards modern FTA issues such as environment, labour, and digital trade

Underscoring the need for a ‘careful’ assessment of guidelines to negotiate Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), India is ‘taking it slow’ and recalibrating its strategy to ensure it is able to maximise trade and investment gains from such pacts, two people aware of the matter said.
 

The department of commerce plans to seek the Union Cabinet’s approval to implement fresh guidelines for negotiating FTAs, one of the persons cited above said.

It is also learnt that a high-level meeting between top commerce department officials and the Prime Minister’s Office took place over the weekend to discuss the standard operating