<p>The <strong>Ministry of Commerce &amp; Industry</strong> has rolled out a set of reforms aimed at improving the functioning of <span class="key-term" data-definition="Directorate General of Foreign Trade — the apex body under the Ministry of Commerce that formulates and implements India's foreign trade policy (GS3: Economy)">DGFT</span> <span class="key-term" data-definition="Norms Committees — sector‑specific committees of technical authorities that fix Standard Input Output Norms and adjudicate authorisations under the Foreign Trade Policy (GS3: Economy)">Norms Committees (NCs)</span>. The objective is to reduce the turnaround time for the <span class="key-term" data-definition="Advance Authorisation Scheme — a provision under the Foreign Trade Policy that allows exporters to import inputs duty‑free, subject to prescribed norms (GS3: Economy)">Advance Authorisation (AA) Scheme</span> and the <span class="key-term" data-definition="Duty‑Free Import Authorisation Scheme — a scheme that permits duty‑free import of inputs that are incorporated into export products (GS3: Economy)">Duty‑Free Import Authorisation (DFIA) Scheme</span>, thereby enhancing export competitiveness.</p> <h3>Key Developments</h3> <ul> <li>Issuance of detailed guidelines to standardise NC operations, including a fixed fortnightly meeting schedule and prioritisation of long‑pending cases.</li> <li>Augmentation of technical capacity: ten additional technical members nominated, raising the total from 12 to 22.</li> <li>Launch of a special disposal drive with chronological case handling to ensure transparency.</li> <li>Systematic monitoring of pendency and case ageing, and conversion of recurring cases into <span class="key-term" data-definition="Standard Input Output Norms — quantitative norms prescribed for inputs and outputs of export products, used to grant authorisations (GS3: Economy)">SION</span> to avoid repetitive approvals.</li> </ul> <h3>Important Facts (Jan‑Apr 2026)</h3> <ul> <li>Between <strong>January 2026</strong> and <strong>7 April 2026</strong>, <strong>38</strong> NC meetings were convened.</li> <li>A total of <strong>3,925</strong> cases were taken up; <strong>1,770</strong> cases were disposed of, indicating a significant reduction in backlog.</li> <li>Technical authority strength increased by <strong>83%</strong> (from 12 to 22 members), improving sectoral expertise.</li> </ul> <h3>UPSC Relevance</h3> <p>The reforms illustrate the government's focus on creating a facilitative trade environment, a recurring theme in <strong>GS3: Economy</strong>. Understanding the mechanics of the <span class="key-term" data-definition="Foreign Trade Policy — the policy framework governing India's external trade, periodically revised to reflect global and domestic priorities (GS3: Economy)">Foreign Trade Policy (FTP)</span> and its associated schemes is essential for questions on export promotion, MSME support, and trade facilitation. The role of <span class="key-term" data-definition="MSMEs — Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises that constitute a large share of India's manufacturing and export sector (GS3: Economy)">MSMEs</span> is highlighted, as faster authorisations lower transaction costs and boost their global competitiveness.</p> <h3>Way Forward</h3> <p>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 <span class="key-term" data-definition="MSMEs — Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises that constitute a large share of India's manufacturing and export sector (GS3: Economy)">MSMEs</span>, thereby supporting India's broader export‑growth agenda.</p>