By NNN-PTI,
New Delhi : Negotiators from India and ASEAN bloc are meeting here tomorrow to broad base their free trade agreement to include services, an area of key interest for India as the sector accounts for over half of its GDP.
India signed the free trade agreement (FTA) with the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) on August 13 that committed to begin breaking duty barriers from January 2010 on goods.
With services contributing 55 per cent of its economy, India is quite keen on tapping the growing services market in south east Asia.
Officials from the Commerce Ministry, supported by their colleagues in the Finance Ministry, would deliberate for three days with members of the ASEAN Trade Negotiating Committee on some of the substantive issues on opening the services sector for people in India and south east Asia.