"Cheaper, quicker and faster": British Deputy High Commissioner Sutapa Choudhury on India-UK CETA

Chennai: British Deputy High Commissioner to Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, Sutapa Choudhury, on Wednesday hailed the historic milestone in bilateral relations, the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), along with a concurrent Agreement on Social Security, which officially entered into force on Wednesday.

The landmark pact guarantees zero-duty market access for nearly 99% of India's exports, covering almost 100% of the total trade value between the two nations.

Speaking to on the implementation of the trade pact, Choudhury emphasised that the treaty would systematically strip away bureaucratic and financial friction for enterprises.


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"The way that the trade deal is going to benefit the two countries is by simply making it 'cheaper, quicker, and faster' to do business between the two countries. In Tamil Nadu specifically, some sectors really stand to gain such as textiles and leather, automotives, marine, and pharma," Choudhury said.

Expressing optimism over the rapid implementation, she added: "We're really excited today that this comprehensive economic trade agreement has come into force. It was signed less than a year ago between the Prime Ministers of our two countries, Prime Minister Starmer and Prime Minister Modi, so this is a historic moment and it's happened in extremely fast time. Really looking forward to businesses benefiting on both sides and people ultimately benefiting from cheaper prices."

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Choudhury framed the trade pact as a stabilising anchor for both democracies during a period of heightened macroeconomic and geopolitical volatility across the globe.

"In this global environment where there's fragility and uncertainty, this brings our two countries closer together. So it's a moment to celebrate in terms of the strengthening of ties, in people-to-people ties, in economic ties primarily, and the movement of people. To do business, you need to travel between the two countries," she noted, describing the agreement as "a really profound statement of intent" by both governments.

To ensure that the financial upsides of the treaty penetrate deep into regional industrial hubs, the British Deputy High Commission plans to look past state capitals for commercial outreach.

"This is just actually our first engagement of this kind. We are planning a whole series of events, including in the regions. I was in Hosur a couple of weeks ago, meeting the Tamil Nadu government's investment promotion agency as well as several different businesses. It's really important to us to move beyond Chennai because some of your industrial clusters are spread right across the state, and that's what makes Tamil Nadu so unique. Absolutely a win-win for India and for the UK," Choudhury asserted.

The enforcement of CETA was formally announced by Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, who highlighted the massive competitive advantage the deal secures for domestic manufacturers, small-scale industries, and corporate professionals.

"Today marks a defining milestone in India-UK ties," Goyal stated on the social media platform X. "Under the dynamic leadership of Hon'ble PM @NarendraModi ji, the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Agreement on Social Security have come into force, delivering zero-duty market access for nearly 99% of India's exports, covering almost 100% of trade value."