The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) held a workshop in New Delhi where Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Shri Jitin Prasada met with industry representatives to discuss ease of doing business, opportunities under trade agreements and ongoing reforms. The government outlined plans to simplify how businesses access government services and export to other countries.
What the government announced
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry is planning several changes to help exporters and businesses:
- Integrated Commerce and Industry offices will be set up in major cities, allowing businesses to access multiple government departments from a single location instead of visiting separate offices.
- A network of approximately 1,000 trained local personnel who speak regional languages will be deployed at district and state levels to provide support to exporters and potential exporters. These personnel will work through industry chambers and regional associations.
- A new platform called Trade Connect is being developed. It will provide exporters with information about product-wise and country-wise tariffs, opportunities available under India’s Free Trade Agreements, and procedures for using those agreements. The platform will also use digital tools and artificial intelligence to help businesses find export opportunities and identify infrastructure gaps.
During the interaction, the government heard from various sectors including pharmaceuticals, textiles, automotive, engineering and logistics. Industry representatives raised concerns about export competitiveness, trade documentation processes, regulatory requirements, logistics costs and the need for better coordination between government systems and foreign trade platforms. The roller chain and industrial components sector reported that recent government measures such as Quality Control Orders and minimum import prices have resulted in a 15-fold expansion in their sector, along with approximately Rs 500 crore in new investments and around 5,000 new jobs.
What this means for you
If you run a business or work in export-related activities, these changes aim to make it easier to understand trade rules and find international markets. The new local support network could help smaller businesses navigate export procedures without needing to travel to state capitals or New Delhi. The Trade Connect platform will put tariff and Free Trade Agreement information in one place, saving time spent searching across different government websites.