Indian Economy News

Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Mr. Piyush Goyal calls for Strong Centre–State Partnership to boost India’s export growth at the Fourth Board of Trade Meeting

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Mr. Piyush Goyal emphasised that India must expand its economy and create more employment through increased exports, calling for strong collaboration between the Central Government and States to drive export growth and diversification. At the fourth meeting of the reconstituted Board of Trade in New Delhi, he highlighted India’s resilient economic performance amid global volatility and reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to accelerating exports. He stated that the Export Promotion Mission will include targeted schemes to enhance competitiveness in landlocked States, while the Ministry of Commerce will coordinate with relevant agencies to address emerging challenges. Emphasising quality, he said India’s reputation as a reliable exporter depends on high standards and encouraged States to share best practices in Ease of Doing Business and Single Window systems to improve facilitation for exporters.

He reviewed key initiatives, including the Trade Connect ePlatform launched in September 2024, which has over 62 lakh visits, more than 18 lakh registered users, multilingual access, digital Certificates of Origin exceeding 22 lakh, and extensive micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) support. He noted a 96% grievance resolution rate through the Jan Sunwai video-conferencing module and welcomed the extension of the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) scheme until March 31, 2026. He highlighted landmark Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), including the India-European FTA (EFTA) Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (March 2024) and the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (July 2025). Commerce Secretary Mr. Rajesh Agarwal and Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) Additional Secretary Mr. Ajay Bhadoo underlined efforts to strengthen digital trade infrastructure and paperless facilitation. Active participation from State Ministers and senior officials reinforced the collaborative approach to building a competitive, technology-driven, and globally integrated trade ecosystem for India.

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