RAS question
The India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) that entered into force in January 2026 provides duty-free access to what percentage of goods exported from India to Oman?
Correct answer: (A) 98%.
The India-Oman CEPA gives Indian exports to Oman 100% duty-free market access across 98.08% of Oman’s tariff lines.
Explanation
The agreement’s goods-market-access gain for India is measured through Oman’s tariff lines. The PIB explainer states that, under the India-Oman CEPA, India secured 100% duty-free market access for its exports to Oman across 98.08% of Oman’s tariff lines, covering 99.38% of India’s export value, with the zero-duty concessions applying from the first day of the agreement’s entry into force. That is why the MCQ’s 98% option is the right rounded answer. The point is not a generic tariff cut: it is near-complete tariff-line coverage for Indian exports entering Oman, backed by immediate duty-free treatment rather than a delayed or partial preference. The agreement also sits within a wider CEPA framework that covers goods, services, investment, professional mobility and regulatory cooperation.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) 85% understates the PIB-backed market-access coverage, which is 98.08% of Oman’s tariff lines for Indian exports.
- (C) 90% is closer but still below the stated CEPA coverage of 98.08% of Oman’s tariff lines.
- (D) 75% is far below the near-complete duty-free access figure given for Indian exports under the CEPA.
Concept
This tests India’s external-sector policy, especially how CEPAs use tariff-line coverage to expand export market access. It recurs in RAS because trade agreements link current affairs with balance of trade, services exports and industrial competitiveness.