The conclusion of free trade agreements (FTAs) with the UK and Oman are likely to be part of a 100-day action plan drawn up by the department of commerce for the next government, apart from “steps to resolve the issues faced by exporters’, a senior official told FE.

Negotiations on both these trade agreements are in the “final stages,” the official said, but added that due to the start of the election process in India, there has been a pause in the talks. Resumption of the dialogues is expected only after the new government assumes office by May-end or June.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi requested the ministers to develop a road plan for the government's first 100 days and following five years during the Cabinet meeting last Sunday, one day after the calendar for the general election was revealed.

In addition to free trade agreements, the commerce department will also be outlining actions that must be taken in the first 100 days to address issues that merchandise exporters are facing as a result of the decline in global trade, ongoing geopolitical unrest, and declining competitiveness in certain industries, particularly labor-intensive ones.Sources claim that textual discussions for the planned free trade agreement (FTA) with the UK are almost finished, with timetables for commodities and services "at advanced stages." Each of the FTA's 26 chapters addresses a different trade-related policy topic, such as government procurement, intellectual property, sanitary and phytosanitary regulations, technological trade obstacles, etc.