New Delhi, Dec 12 (TIWN) Britain Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch will be in New Delhi from Monday for the sixth round of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between the UK and India.

The trip marks the first formal round of negotiations since July.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in April set an ambitious target to agree on an FTA with India by Diwali in October. But Johnson was forced to announce his resignation in July, and the deadline was missed.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he is committed to getting a deal with India but won't sacrifice quality for speed, in a change of tone compared to Johnson.

A central government source told Reuters the intention was to close a deal by March. The source and another official, both of whom did not want to be named as the talks are private, said drug patents could be also be discussed, but declined to provide details.

Trade ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Badenoch, who was appointed to her role in September, will meet Trade Minister Piyush Goyal and address the negotiating teams before the round of talks begins.

"I'm here in New Delhi to kickstart round six of UK-India trade negotiations and meet my counterpart Minister Goyal in person to drive progress on this agreement," Badenoch said in a statement.

"Both nations have come to the table with the very highest of ambitions and a willingness to work together towards a mutually beneficial deal."

Britain's trade ministry said it would aim to cut tariffs on goods and open opportunities for its services sector.