According to experts, India should refrain from giving duty concessions, as the government here is promoting domestic manufacturing of these devices. India can consider giving relaxations for those equipment which are not manufactured in India, Rajinder Singh Kanwar from Export Promotion Council For Medical Devices said. The negotiations between the two countries for the agreement cover as many as 26 policy areas/chapters. Investment is being negotiated as a separate agreement (bilateral investment treaty) between India and the UK and it would be concluded simultaneously with the free-trade agreement. India is looking at greater market access for its pharmaceutical products in the UK, as part of the proposed agreement with Britain, the official added. India has already secured greater market access for the domestic pharma industry in a trade pact with the UAE. Under the pact, Indian pharmaceutical products and medical goods will get regulatory approval within 90 days that have been approved in developed jurisdictions such as the US, the UK, the EU, Canada, and Australia. Similarly, the India-Australia trade deal would provide fast-track approvals and quality assessment/inspections of manufacturing facilities. In pharma, we are looking at a positive outcome from the India-UK deal. Regulatory cooperation with the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is also on the cards, the official said. India and Britain launched negotiations for the free-trade agreement (FTA) in January with an aim to conclude talks by Diwali (October 24), but the deadline was missed due to political developments in the UK. India’s main exports to the UK include ready-made garments and textiles, gems and jewellery, engineering goods, petroleum and petrochemical products, transport equipment and parts, spices, metal products, machinery and instruments, pharma and marine items. Major imports include precious and semi-precious stones, ores and metal scraps, engineering goods, professional instruments, non-ferrous metals, chemicals and machinery. The UK is also a key investor in India. The bilateral trade between India and the UK increased to $20.36 billion in 2022-23 from $17.5 billion in 2021-22.