New Delhi: India must expand its economy and create more employment opportunities by increasing exports, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday, emphasising the need for strong collaboration between the Central Government and the States to drive export expansion and diversification.
Addressing the fourth meeting of the reconstituted Board of Trade (BoT) here, the minister highlighted the resilient performance of the Indian economy amid global volatility and reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to accelerating export growth.
Goyal stated that the Export Promotion Mission would incorporate targeted schemes to help landlocked States enhance their competitiveness in the export sector.
He noted that based on inputs received from States, the Ministry of Commerce would work closely with relevant agencies to identify effective and timely solutions to emerging challenges.
Goyal said that India’s global reputation as a reliable exporter hinges on ensuring the highest standards in every product and consignment. He emphasised that maintaining consistency in quality is essential for strengthening India’s position in global markets and building long-term trust with international partners.
Goyal urged states to actively share their successful models and best practices, particularly in areas such as Ease of Doing Business and Single Window clearance systems.
He noted that learning from states that have demonstrated strong performance in these domains would not only help others streamline their processes but also create a spirit of healthy competition.
Such collaborative efforts, Goyal added, would contribute to more efficient governance, improved facilitation for exporters and ultimately better outcomes across the country.
The Minister provided an overview of progress made on initiatives announced during earlier BoT meetings.
A major achievement has been the rapid scale-up of the Trade Connect ePlatform, launched in September 2024, which now integrates services from Indian Missions, the Department of Commerce, DGFT, Export Promotion Councils, Exim Bank and other partners.
With over 62 lakh platform visits, more than 18 lakh registered users, multilingual accessibility, digital consolidation of Certificates of Origin (over 22 lakh issued), and extensive support for MSMEs through market intelligence and product-compliance tools, the platform is emerging as a comprehensive digital gateway for exporters.
Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal underlined the need to strengthen last-mile connectivity between exporters and government support systems. He highlighted the Ministry’s commitment to expanding digital public infrastructure for trade, ensuring faster resolution of trade-related issues, and improving inter-agency coordination to enhance India’s export competitiveness.
(IANS)
