India expected to sign several FTAs soon: Sanjiv Puri
Times of India | 20 March 2025
12 Kolkata: India is expected to sign several FTAs despite rising global geopolitical uncertainties, said CII president Sanjiv Puri. He also advocated for 6% of the national GDP to be allocated to the education sector.
Addressing a CII conference on catalysing the growth of the eastern region held in the city on Wednesday, Puri, who is also the ITC chairman and MD, said that the industry hoped that India would soon reach a trade agreement with US that would bring down tariffs and open up more markets.
"About 70% of global trade occurs through global value chains and customs tariff structures need to be streamlined. EU (European Union) FTA — being discussed for more than two decades — is very important for India. Hopefully, this year we will see many such FTAs," Puri said.
Puri stated that achieving an 8% national growth rate necessitated the activation of all business sectors, including agriculture, services, manufacturing, private investments and the facilitation of the Ease of Doing Business (EODB). "India's projected 6.5% growth rate is a reasonable expectation, considering the complex geopolitical landscape. As a major hub for Global Capability Centres (GCCs), India hosts around 40% of these centres and is well-positioned to drive growth," he added.