The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has rolled out a set of reforms to improve the functioning of Norms Committees under the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), aiming to speed up Advance Authorisation approvals and simplify procedures for exporters. According to the ministry, the move aligns with the government’s broader agenda of boosting ease of doing business and reduce delays in approvals under export-linked schemes.

It noted '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.’ Currently, seven such committees operate across sectors, comprising technical experts and officials from various ministries. However, their functioning had been impacted by capacity constraints, causing delays and an increase in pending applications.

To tackle this issue, the government has rolled out process and capacity reforms, including 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. Additionally, line ministries have been directed to nominate more technical experts to the committees. Consequently, the number of technical members has risen from 12 to 22, enhancing their capacity to manage a larger caseload.