Parliament watch: India & ASEAN progress on AITIGA review, US tariffs and more

India & ASEAN Progress on AITIGA Review
India and ASEAN are "constructively engaged" on review of ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA), signed in 2009 and so far, nine meetings of AITIGA Joint Committee meetings have been held. The 10th round is scheduled from August 10-14, 2025.

US Tariff Impact Hinges on Competitors’ Tariffs: Govt
New Delhi:The impact of American tariffs on exports to US in various sectors will depend and vary based on comparative tariffs on other countries including the competitors, the government told Parliament Tuesday. “The Department of Commerce is engaged with stakeholders to help reduce the impact through export promotion and diversification measures,” minister of state, commerce and industry ministry Jitin Prasada told Lok Sabha in a written reply.


India-US bilateral trade agreement (BTA) negotiations were launched in March 2025 and five rounds of negotiations have been held, the last being from July 14-18, 2025 in Washington. “India is actively engaged in the negotiations with the US and the European Union- …Government of India is involved in the discussions on the India-US BTA with the aim to expand trade and investment and deepen the India-US trade relationship to promote growth that ensures fairness, national security and job creation,” he said.

Calibrated FTA Strategy Adopted to Boost Trade
India has adopted a calibrated approach to negotiating FTAs to expand market access while protecting domestic interests, the government said. “Revenue is notionally impacted for both the partner countries of the FTA with tariff reductions. This is expected to be offset in the medium to long term by increased trade volumes, investment flows, enhanced competitiveness of Indian exports, and overall economic growth,” government told Lok Sabha. The India-UAE FTA has also led to a significant growth in Foreign Direct Investment.

Flag EUDR as Non-tariff Barrier at WTO: House Committee Tells Govt
The government should flag the EU’s anti Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) at the World Trade Organization as it is a form of non-tariff barrier and the effects of Free Trade Agreements on the spice trade need to be reviewed, a parliamentary standing committee on has recommended. It said that FTAs should be designed to protect the interests of Indian spice farmers and exporters.

Mining Amendment Bill Gets LS Nod
The Lok Sabha passed amendments to the Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act Tuesday. Addressing the lower house, Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy said mining is a key driver of the nation’s progress, with critical minerals playing an essential role in renewable energy, electric mobility, and cutting-edge technologies. “From solar panels to wind turbines, agriculture to medical equipment, electronics to electricity, cell phones to aircraft, and defence to sports, critical minerals play a significant role across every sector,” he said while adding India is engaging with Zambia and Argentina for sourcing lithium.

Draft National Retail Trade Policy Aims to Boost Ease of Biz
The draft National Retail Trade Policy has been prepared and focuses on preparing strategies for overall development of retail trade through targeted efforts to promote ease of doing business in retail sector through several measures to reduce compliance burden, enhance ease of access to credit and decriminalization of minor offences for all formats of retail trade. Special emphasis is placed on assessing the requirement of licenses, removal of renewal requirement, inspection reforms, facilitating public service delivery and creation of single window facilitation mechanism, Lok Sabha was informed.

Export Promotion Mission at Proposal Stage, says Centre
The Export Promotion Mission (EPM) which was announced in the Union Budget 2025-26, is currently at the proposal stage. The EPM proposal includes provisions for third-party evaluation to assess outcomes and inform further improvements. Monitoring and evaluation mechanisms have been built into the proposal to ensure effective execution, stakeholder responsiveness, and transparency.