A team of officials from New Delhi may travel to London to resolve the issues of a long-pending trade deal between India and the United Kingdom (UK).

       The travel plan is still being finalised, a senior government official said on Saturday.

       After almost a year-long hiatus, India and the UK formally launched a three-track negotiation in February for a free trade agreement (FTA), bilateral investment treaty (BIT) and double contribution convention or a social security agreement. Thereafter, on March 24, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and his British counterpart reviewed the progress during negotiations.

       “Currently, the focus is on the BIT. Discussions on BIT are going on. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was also in London recently to give further push to the BIT talks,” the official cited above said.

       Both sides have struggled to iron out differences related to the investment pact, mainly over resolution of disputes. In an attempt to make some progress, the Union Budget 2025-26 announced India’s intention to revamp the current model BIT and make it “more investor-friendly” to encourage sustained foreign investment.

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       Apart from BIT, there are only a few other pending issues in the FTA, the official said.

       India and the UK are trying to speed up discussions on the trade agreement amid fast-changing geopolitical landscape and America’s protectionist trade policies.

       India-UK FTA talks were launched 34 months ago under the Conservative government headed by former Britain Prime Minister Boris Johnson, with an ambitious target to seal the deal in nine months. However, political instability in the UK, unresolved differences over various issues and general elections in both nations between April and July 2024 further delayed the fruition of the deal.

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       The second edition of Tri-services Future Warfare Course for senior military officers will be held at Manekshaw Centre here from April 21 to May 9, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Saturday.

       The three-week course will focus on how technology impacts war-fighting, "necessitating a re-look at the thinking, concepts, doctrines, strategies and tactics, techniques and procedures," it said.

       The course will be conducted under the aegis of Integrated Defence Staff headquarters and coordinated by the tri-services think-tank Centre for Joint Warfare Studies.

       This edition features an enhanced curriculum covering specialised subjects and domain-specific warfare developments in military operations, the statement said.

       "Building on the success of the first course held in September 2024, this expanded three-week programme continues the vision of Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan to prepare officers for the complex challenges of modern warfare," the statement said.

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       "The course maintains its rank-agnostic approach, albeit with an enhanced and diverse participation," it added.

       "The course will align operational priorities with the capabilities of the indigenous defence industry and enable a free-flowing discussion on the various facets of modern and futuristic war fighting," it said.

       The participating officers will range from major generals to majors and their equivalent officers from other services, along with representatives from other departments under the Ministry of Defence including Defence Research and Development Organisation, and defence industry incorporating start-ups, MSMEs, Defence PSUs and private industry, the statement said.

       "This second edition continues the larger mission of making the armed forces 'future ready' fostering jointness and integration among the Services and developing strategic leaders equipped to navigate the increasingly complex landscape of modern warfare," it said.

       (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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