India, New Zealand Ink Landmark Free Trade Deal Amid Transparency Calls

India and New Zealand today signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in New Delhi, concluding years of negotiations aimed at boosting bilateral trade and investment. Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and New Zealand's Minister for Trade and Investment Todd McClay finalized the pact, which grants India duty-free access for numerous exports to New Zealand and includes a proposed $20 billion investment commitment from New Zealand over 15 years. The agreement protects India's sensitive sectors, such as dairy, from tariff concessions. However, New Zealand trade unions, including the Maritime Union, and the Conservative Party had called for greater transparency and expressed concerns about the deal's impact on local jobs and increased professional mobility for Indian workers. The signed FTA will undergo parliamentary scrutiny in New Zealand before full implementation.