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Govt Boosts DGFT Norms Committees to Speed Export Approvals, Cut Delays

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has implemented reforms to strengthen the Norms Committees under the Directorate General of Foreign Trade. The changes aim to expedite the disposal of Advance Authorisation applications and reduce delays for exporters. Key reforms include fixed fortnightly meetings, increased technical membership, and a special drive to clear pending cases chronologically. These measures have already facilitated the review of thousands of cases and are expected to lower transaction costs and improve predictability for businesses.

Key Points: DGFT Norms Committees Reforms to Speed Up Export Authorisations

  • Fortnightly committee meetings scheduled
  • Long-pending cases prioritised
  • Technical members increased from 12 to 22
  • Special drive to clear pending applications
2 min read

Govt strengthens DGFT Norms Committees to speed up export authorisations, cut delays

Commerce Ministry reforms DGFT Norms Committees to fast-track Advance Authorisation applications, reduce delays, and ease export processes for businesses.

"DGFT administers the Advance Authorisation (AA) Scheme and the Duty-Free Import Authorisation (DFIA) Scheme under the Foreign Trade Policy. - Ministry of Commerce and Industry"

New Delhi, April 18

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has introduced a set of reforms to improve the functioning of Norms Committees under the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, aimed at faster disposal of Advance Authorisation applications and easing process for exporters.

In an official statement, the ministry stated that the move comes as part of the government's broader push to enhance ease of doing business and reduce delays in approvals under export-linked schemes.

The Ministry noted that "DGFT administers the Advance Authorisation (AA) Scheme and the Duty-Free Import Authorisation (DFIA) Scheme under the Foreign Trade Policy. These schemes allow duty-free import of inputs that are physically incorporated in export products."

At present, seven such committees operate across sectors, comprising technical experts and officials from various ministries. However, their functioning had been impacted by capacity constraints, leading to a rise in pending applications.

To address this, the government has introduced process and capacity-related reforms. These include fixed scheduling of meetings on a fortnightly basis, prioritisation of long-pending cases, and time-bound finalisation of meeting minutes. Monitoring mechanisms for pendency and case ageing have also been strengthened.

In addition, line ministries have been asked to nominate more technical experts to the committees. As part of this effort, the number of technical members has increased from 12 to 22, improving the committees' ability to handle a higher volume of cases.

A special disposal drive has also been launched to clear pending applications in a time-bound manner, with cases being taken up in chronological order to ensure transparency.

According to the ministry, these measures have already begun to show results. Between January 2026 and April 7, 2026, a total of 38 committee meetings were held, during which 3,925 cases were reviewed and 1,770 cases disposed of.

The reforms are expected to reduce transaction costs, shorten approval timelines, and provide greater predictability for exporters, particularly small and medium enterprises.

The ministry will continue to refine the norms mechanism to support export growth and improve overall trade facilitation.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priyanka N
Good move on paper. The key will be implementation. We've seen reforms announced before, but the ground reality for exporters in places like Tirupur or Ludhiana hasn't changed much. Hope this time the 'monitoring mechanisms' are real and have teeth.
A
Aman W
Doubling technical members is a smart fix. The bottleneck was always expertise to review complex cases. Faster approvals mean we can be more competitive against Bangladesh and Vietnam. Jai Hind, and jai exports! 🇮🇳
S
Sarah B
Working with Indian partners, I've seen how these delays affect global supply chains. Predictability is everything. If this reduces the 'approval uncertainty', it will make India a much more reliable sourcing destination. Good for business.
K
Karthik V
Transparency in taking cases chronologically is crucial. It stops people from using 'contacts' to jump the queue. Hope this culture sticks. Our garments business has suffered for too long waiting for these nods.
N
Nikhil C
While the intent is good, I have a respectful criticism. The article says 3925 cases reviewed, 1770 disposed. That's a disposal rate of ~45%. Where do the other 55% go? Back in the queue? Need clarity on what "disposed" actually means.
M
Meera T

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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