Finance Ministry notifies rules of origin under India-U.K. CETA

📌 Summary:

• The Finance Ministry notified the rules for determination of origin of goods under the India-U.K. Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)
• The rules of origin will come into force from July 15, 2026
• A certificate of origin is a key document required for exports to avail duty (tariff) benefits under India’s trade agreements with partner countries
• The notification operationalises the tariff-concession framework of the India-U.K. free trade pact

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 International Relations / GS3 Economy — India’s free trade agreements, rules of origin as a safeguard against trade deflection/third-country routing, India-U.K. bilateral economic engagement.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• CETA = Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (India-U.K.)
• Rules of origin determine the “economic nationality” of a product to decide tariff eligibility
• Certificate of origin is required to claim preferential duty benefits; rules effective July 15, 2026

🔑 Key Term: Rules of Origin — criteria used to determine the country of origin of a product, ensuring only genuinely originating goods get preferential tariff treatment under an FTA.