Union Home Minister Amit Shah. File
| Photo Credit: ANI
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday (July 15, 2026) said that the India-U.K. free trade agreement is set to unlock untapped potential across labour-intensive industries, offering zero-duty market access for 99% of the country’s exports.
He said the agreement, which comes into force on Wednesday (July 15, 2026), is the key to a Viksit Bharat as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“The treaty is set to unlock untapped potential across labour-intensive industries, offering zero-duty market access for 99% of Indian exports, including those in textiles, leather, engineering, food processing, pharmaceuticals and MSME,” Mr. Shah said on X.
He said the treaty stands as a testament to the Centre’s pro-people diplomacy.
The treaty will also extend significant exemptions to Indian professionals in the U.K., he said.

The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) that came into force on Wednesday (July 15, 2026) was signed between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his U.K. counterpart Keir Starmer in July last year.
The pact is expected to at least double the trade between the two countries from the current annual levels of estimated 48 billion pounds by 2030, and boost their GDPs by nearly 5 billion pounds every year in the long run.
Published – July 15, 2026 06:09 pm IST
