The Ministry of Commerce & Industry has rolled out a set of reforms aimed at improving the functioning of DGFT Norms Committees (NCs). The objective is to reduce the turnaround time for the Advance Authorisation (AA) Scheme and the Duty‑Free Import Authorisation (DFIA) Scheme, thereby enhancing export competitiveness.
Key Developments
- Issuance of detailed guidelines to standardise NC operations, including a fixed fortnightly meeting schedule and prioritisation of long‑pending cases.
- Augmentation of technical capacity: ten additional technical members nominated, raising the total from 12 to 22.
- Launch of a special disposal drive with chronological case handling to ensure transparency.
- Systematic monitoring of pendency and case ageing, and conversion of recurring cases into SION to avoid repetitive approvals.
Important Facts (Jan‑Apr 2026)
- Between January 2026 and 7 April 2026, 38 NC meetings were convened.
- A total of 3,925 cases were taken up; 1,770 cases were disposed of, indicating a significant reduction in backlog.
- Technical authority strength increased by 83% (from 12 to 22 members), improving sectoral expertise.
UPSC Relevance
The reforms illustrate the government's focus on creating a facilitative trade environment, a recurring theme in GS3: Economy. Understanding the mechanics of the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) and its associated schemes is essential for questions on export promotion, MSME support, and trade facilitation. The role of MSMEs is highlighted, as faster authorisations lower transaction costs and boost their global competitiveness.
Way Forward
Continued capacity building of NCs, regular monitoring of case ageing, and further digitisation of the authorisation workflow are expected to streamline the norms‑fixation process. The Ministry has pledged to keep refining the mechanism to ensure predictability for exporters, especially MSMEs, thereby supporting India's broader export‑growth agenda.