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New Delhi (PTI): India and the US have made "very significant" progress in their negotiations for a trade deal, with New Delhi maintaining steady momentum in talks with Washington for a positive outcome even during the final stages of concluding its free trade pact with the European Union, official sources said on Wednesday.

India's mega trade deal with the EU should not be seen as a response to offset the current state of trade relations with the US as the American market is equally crucial for the Indian exporters, they said.

Very significant progress has been made in the negotiations for the proposed trade deal with the US and the two sides are "very close" to seeing that come to fruition, the sources said.

The two sides remain in touch and even during the final stages of negotiating the EU trade pact, Indian trade negotiators were in contact with their US counterparts as well, the sources said.

"So that work is continuing. We are hopeful of a positive outcome," said a source.

It is also learnt that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is travelling to Washington next week to attend a meeting on critical minerals. During the trip, he is expected to meet a number of senior Trump administration officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The sources also ruled out India reviewing its decision to not join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) that is largely dominated by China.

India and the US held multiple rounds of negotiations last year to firm up the proposed bilateral trade deal. However, the talks hit a roadblock after President Donald Trump slapped a whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, including a 25 per cent punitive levy over Russian oil purchases, in August last year.

Apart from the tariffs, the relations came under strain on a number of other issues that included Trump's claim of ending the India-Pakistan conflict in May last year and Washington's new immigration policy.

After India and the European Union announced the free trade agreement to create a market of over two billion people, there have been views that it was a response to the disruptions caused by Washington's policy on tariffs.

There was not a single mention by either side on that (US aspect) as it was not being done because something else was happening in the background, the sources said on the India-EU summit talks on Tuesday.

The US market is as important, if not more important. And we therefore have to keep our eyes on the ball there in terms of wanting to get that trade deal across the finish line as well, the sources said.

The trade deal with the EU is definitely not being done with the spirit of one-upmanship or anything, the sources said, adding it is not that this deal is a major reaction to whatever may or may not have been happening in terms of progress in other deals.

"Our export to the EU is worth USD 76 billion as compared to USD 86 billion to the US. So it's an equally important market for us," said one of the sources, adding, "India and the EU have finalised the trade deal because it is in the mutual interest and mutual benefit of both sides."

The sources, citing the current global trade environment, said the MFN-based WTO (World Trade Organisation) oriented system is under stress and trading partners are trying to navigate the challenging environment.

The Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) principle is a non-discriminatory pillar of the WTO trading system that requires that any trade advantage granted to one country must be extended to member nations of the WTO.

"India would like to see exports grow both in the US and Europe as we don't see one over the other," the source said.

"We see it should grow in both places because at the end of the day, that will create jobs, that will create more manufacturing," the source added.

The India-EU free trade agreement that will account for almost a quarter of the global GDP will reduce tariffs on 99 per cent of Indian exports to the EU and cut duties on over 97 per cent of the EU's exports to India.

The EU estimated that the deal will cut up to four billion euros in annual tariffs for European exporters.

Indian sectors such as textiles, apparel, leather goods, handicrafts, footwear and marine products are set to gain from the FTA, while Europe is set to benefit in areas of wine, automobiles, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, among others.

Under the provisions of the pact, the EU's wine exports will benefit significantly as the current duties of 150 per cent will see a sharp cut and the new levies will be in the range of 20 per cent to 30 per cent.

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New Delhi: A Noida-based private University, Galgotias has come under severe criticism after allegedly showcasing a china-made robotic dog at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi.

Social media users accused the university of purchasing a commercial robot from China and presenting it as its own creation at the summit.

Reports claimed that the university showcased the Unitree Go2 robotic dog, an AI-powered device available on Chinese platforms for Rs 2–3 lakh, under the name “Orion” during the event in New Delhi.

“So Galgotia university purchased a commercially available robot worth Rs 2.5 lakhs, called it their own and passed it off in the Delhi AI Summit as a part of their 350 crore AI ecosystem..I literally have no words left,” wrote ‘X’ user Roshan Rai, sharing a video in which a DD News reporter interviewed a university official about the robotic dog.

The viral post claimed that the robot closely resembles Unitree Go2, a quadruped robotic dog developed by Chinese company Unitree Robotics.

Screenshots attached to the post compared the robot displayed at the summit with the Unitree Go2 listing, priced at roughly 2,800 dollars (around Rs 2.3–2.5 lakhs).

According Unitree Robotics, The Unitree Go2 is widely used as a programmable quadruped robot for research, education, inspection, and development purposes, and is a common learning platform in universities and robotics labs worldwide.

Several users reiterated the claim.

Government of India funds for filing patents

Meanwhile, concerns were raised about alleged misuse of government funds.

User @sky_phd highlighted, “Galgotias University is once again in the spotlight. Under the guise of research and innovation, they are raking in plenty of money.”

The user claimed that the university took money under government funds, and wrote, “The Government of India provides incentive funding of up to five lakh rupees for filing patents.”

“To understand the patent filing process and the games being played with it, take a look at the list of top Indian institutions filing patents. All the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) together file only 803 patents, while institutions like Lovely Professional University, Jain Deemed-to-be University, Galgotias University, and Teerthanker Mahaveer University have filed more than a thousand patents each,” the user wrote, sharing a chart of patent filings by these universities.

“The basic international patent filing fee is $285–400. Through patent filings alone, these institutions are reportedly earning more than fifty crore rupees annually. However, while these universities file patents, they often do not pursue them further, and most patents ultimately do not get granted. This inflates filing numbers but does not reflect real innovation or recognized intellectual property,” the user added.

Another user pointed out about the selection criteria of the summit. The user questioned, “What exactly was the selection criteria for participation in this AI summit? .”

“Platforms meant to showcase India’s innovation should represent genuine research, original ideas, and credible institutions. So how did Galgotias University qualify to display a Chinese-made robot and present it as its own “innovation”? If true, this isn’t just embarrassing, it undermines the credibility of the entire summit and of India’s growing tech ecosystem. At a time when India is trying to position itself as a global AI and deep-tech leader, showcasing repackaged imports as indigenous innovation only damages trust. If we want the world to take India’s AI ambitions seriously, transparency and authenticity must come first,” the user added.

 

University clarifies after backlash

In response to the criticism, Galgotias University issued a clarification, stating that it “never claimed to have built the device” and that the robot was procured from a Chinese manufacturer for academic purposes.

“Let us be clear, Galgotias has not built this robodog, nor have we claimed to do so. What we are building are minds that will soon design, engineer, and manufacture such technologies in Bharat," the university said.

The university in its statement also pointed out that the Unitree Go2 is being used as a learning tool for students.

“From the US to China and Singapore, we bring advanced technologies to campus because exposure creates vision, and vision creates creators. The robodog is actively being used by students to test capabilities and explore real-world applications,” the university added.

University professor claims “it's developed by the Center of Excellence at the Galgotias University.”

In another video captured by DD News, a reporter showcased the Galgotias University pavilion at the India AI Impact Summit 2026.

At the pavilion, the reporter spoke with the university professor about the technology on display.

The professor introduced the robot, saying, “This is Orion. You need to meet Orion. It has been developed by the Center of Excellence at Galgotias University.”

She added, “I would also like to brief you about Galgotias University. We are the first private university investing more than Rs 350 crore in artificial intelligence and have a dedicated data science and AI lab on campus.”

“Orion has been developed by our Center of Excellence. It can take all shapes and sizes and is quite playful. It can perform small tasks such as surveillance and monitoring. It can even execute movements like moonwalks and somersaults,” she explained.

She also claimed that, “This is India’s first iOS lab in North India at a university, giving our students hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology.”

Reacting to the video social media users ridiculed the 350 cr rupees investment compared to the china made robo dog.

Past Controversies of the University

This is not the first time the university is in controversy. In May 2024, during the Lok Sabha elections, a video went viral showing students protesting outside the Congress headquarters in New Delhi against the party’s manifesto. The footage, captured by Aaj Tak, showed students struggling to articulate the purpose of their protest, raising questions about the demonstration’s intent.

Earlier, in 2017, students protested against the university management after being barred from appearing in exams due to low attendance, with allegations that fines were requested to allow attendance, a claim denied by the administration.

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