AS RISHI SUNAK SETTLES IN, AN INDIA-UK FTA IS UNLIKELY BEFORE MARCH

The India-UK free trade deal may be postponed until at least March next year, long over the planned Diwali deadline, with thorny concerns now scheduled to be addressed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's new cabinet. 

Sunak is under pressure from both sides to guarantee that the accord offers demonstrable advantages to the struggling British economy. 

Meanwhile, in India, a new commerce secretary, Sunil Barthwal, has assumed command, having been appointed last month. As a result, researchers believe the Indian sector may make steps to improve various goods, particularly in the alcoholic beverage and car industries. 

“The signing off on the FTA is not expected till next year. At best, there could be some sort of announcement this month,” one of the people cited above said, declining to go into details.

The delay also coincides with the publication of a tentative agreement's intellectual property chapter, which caused international civil society to urge India to reject IP-related measures.

Their concern is that the agreement would limit the supply of cheap pharmaceuticals, which are a lifeline for many impoverished nations, as well as their manufacturing by Indian generic drug producers. An Indian commerce department official, however, told Mint on Friday that the leaked IP chapter is "distorted and modified intentionally" in order to cause uncertainty and postpone the FTA.