FTA with New Zealand to boost Agra footwear industries: Goyal

Agra: Union minister of commerce and industry Piyush Goyal on Sunday, said the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and New Zealand, set to be signed on Monday, will significantly expand industries, including leather, in Agra and open up employment opportunities in the region.Goyal was in Agra with New Zealand minister Todd McClay. They visited the Taj Mahal and also launched the ‘Agra: World Capital of Footwear’ campaign during a meeting with leaders from several sectors – including leather, footwear, AYUSH, pharma, medical devices, light engineering and sports goods, among others.Goyal also announced plans to establish 100 new industrial parks across India, including one near Agra, to provide a well-planned, plug-and-play infrastructure and support industrial growth.Speaking to the media, Goyal said, “Under PM Modi’s leadership, India has signed free trade agreements with 38 prosperous, developed countries, under which two-thirds of the world’s market is now open to India on a free-trade basis. I have full faith that Agra’s industry will expand, flourish and progress rapidly and large-scale job opportunities will open up in Agra.”The agreement will remove tariffs on 100% of India’s exports to New Zealand and reduce or eliminate tariffs on 95% of imports from New Zealand.

On being asked about the NDA’s prospects and his party in the ongoing Assembly polls, Goyal said, “NDA will form govt in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. People of West Bengal are done with the atrocities they have faced for years, and with the anarchy seen in West Bengal, I am very confident that a change is certain this time.”Responding to questions about AAP Rajya Sabha MPs resigning and joining the BJP, Goyal said people in Delhi have been troubled by AAP. “If MPs feel that AAP has lost its core values and principles, and that a corrupt circle has formed around Arvind Kejriwal, they quit the party. Perhaps more of them would quit in the coming days,” he said.