New Delhi, July 15 (). NASSCOM, the apex body of the information technology industry, has welcomed the implementation of the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA), saying that it will open new opportunities in the field of digital trade, investment, innovation and talent exchange.
NASSCOM also welcomed the entry into force of the Double Contribution Convention (DCC). Under this arrangement, Indian professionals going on short-term appointment to Britain will no longer be required to pay social security contributions in the UK for five years. They will be able to continue their social security contributions in India during this period.
The organization said that to take this collaboration forward, the NASSCOM UK Forum was launched in November 2025, bringing together major Indian technology companies making significant investments in Britain.
According to NASSCOM, the DCC has been finalized in collaboration with the Government of India and will directly benefit Indian professionals traveling to the UK for short-term work.
The NASSCOM UK Forum will act as a strategic platform to strengthen digital trade between India and the UK, advance the India-UK Technology Security Initiative and the Vision 2035 roadmap, as well as enhance collaboration between the governments, policy-makers and innovation ecosystem of the two countries.
NASSCOM President Rajesh Nambiar said that technology is becoming a major force of economic development. In such a situation, NASSCOM is committed to working with the governments and industry of both the countries to convert this free trade agreement into concrete results of trade, investment, innovation and talent collaboration.
At the same time, Manish Malhotra, Chairman of NASSCOM UK Forum, said that the technology partnership between India and Britain is now entering a new phase of development. This forum will provide a long-term platform for industry and government to jointly decide the future of this strategic partnership.
He pointed out that a group of major Indian technology companies alone support more than 35,000 jobs in Britain. Around 62 per cent of these employees are based outside London, which is also supporting regional growth, local talent development and building Artificial Intelligence (AI) capacity.
Meanwhile, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday that the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Social Security Agreement have come into force. Under this, about 99 percent of India’s exports will get market access with zero duty, covering almost 100 percent of the trade value of both the countries.
On the other hand, FICCI (FICCI) President Anant Goenka said that this historic agreement strengthens the vision of ‘Developed India’ and will give a new direction to the country’s aspirations of sustainable economic growth, global competitiveness and deeper economic engagement with international markets.
He said that as India rapidly moves towards becoming a developed economy, such high quality economic partnerships will play an important role in creating new trade opportunities, enhancing industrial capacity and strengthening India’s participation in global trade and investment networks.
According to FICCI, this agreement reflects a visionary vision of economic cooperation and will provide new impetus to India’s journey of prosperity, innovation and economic transformation.
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DBP