India and the UK on Monday resumed negotiations for a free-trade agreement (FTA) after an eight-month pause, with the two sides aiming for a threefold increase in bilateral merchandise trade through a “mutually beneficial and a forward-looking” deal by resolving tariff and non-tariff issues while protecting each other’s “sensitivities”, ministers of the two countries said. Union minister Piyush Goyal with UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds on Monday. (PTI) In a precursor to the formal resumption of FTA negotiations, which were left suspended after the 14th round of negotiations because of elections in the UK and a change in the government there, commerce minister Piyush Goyal and British business and trade secretary Jonathan Reynolds met on Monday. “The strengthening of the trading relationship between our two countries has the potential to unlock opportunities for business and consumers across both our nations and build further on our already deep ties,” the two countries said in a joint statement after the ministerial meeting in New Delhi. Exclusive | Trump’s tough talk on India …