New Delhi, July 23 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday departed for the United Kingdom on the first leg of his two-nation visit, which will also take him to the Maldives later this week. The visit to the UK from July 23-24 is aimed at boosting bilateral ties, with the signing of the much-awaited India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) as a key highlight.

The India-UK FTA, has been under negotiation for three years. This agreement is expected to eliminate tariffs on 99% of Indian exports to the UK and reduce tariffs on 90% of British products.

The FTA is projected to double bilateral trade by 2030, from the current USD 60 billion mark. It will also make it easier for British firms to export products like whisky and cars to India.

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