The India ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AIFTA) – A Critical Appraisal

Abstract

With the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement coming into effect on 2010, the ASEAN nations and India agreed upon significant reduction in intra-regional tariffs in order to expand their economic ties. The Free trade agreement however evoked mixed results for India with a few sector being threatened.This study attempts to make a preliminary assessment of the free trade agreement. The specific objectives of the study are firstly to evaluate the benefits and challenges of the FTA to India. Secondly, a comparative study of the growth of trade between India and ASEAN is made during pre-FTA and post-FTA period.