India has not granted market access to the UK in smartphones; small-sized, low-cost electric vehicles (EVs); hybrids; or futuristic cars in the just-concluded free trade agreement (FTA), giving the industry adequate ‘protection’, a senior government official said on Thursday.
India exported smartphones worth $1.5 billion to the UK in the 2024 calendar year.
Other sensitive industrial products for which India will not reduce import duty under the pact include precious metals and optical fibres.
The duty on cars will be reduced from 100 per cent to 10 per cent, with a cap on imports over a 10–15-year period. “The market