Macroeconomic stability enables growth acceleration, with fiscal consolidation and financial-sector resilience supporting investment and currency internationalisation.
Macroeconomic stability-achieved through coordinated monetary and fiscal policies, moderated inflation, a sustainable current account deficit, large reserves and ongoing fiscal consolidation-combined with financial-sector resilience and technology-driven payment and inclusion infrastructure, forms the operational basis for India's growth. Realising the demographic dividend and higher productivity requires skill development, female labour participation, formalisation via manufacturing expansion and infrastructure scaling, while export promotion, rupee internationalisation and substantial investment for a green transition are identified as key policy challenges.

Government startup support mobilized through a national convening to operationalize funding, mentorship and regulatory engagement for founders.
Startup Mahakumbh convened entrepreneurs, investors and public authorities to communicate and operationalize government initiatives supporting startups, including funding schemes, mentorship programs and prospective regulatory reforms. Joint organization by industry bodies, central program hubs and state partners created channels for delivering state support, incubator and accelerator linkages, and corporate partnerships. Sectoral pavilions, panels, workshops and mentorship clinics provided mechanisms for policy dissemination, investor engagement and facilitation of access to incubation, public financing and regulatory guidance for emerging technology sectors.

Merchandise export growth driven by engineering, electronics and chemicals narrows the trade deficit and boosts services trade.
Merchandise exports hit a fiscal year high in February 2024 at USD 41.40 billion, led by Engineering Goods, Electronic Goods, Organic & Inorganic Chemicals, Drugs & Pharmaceuticals and Petroleum Products. Twenty two of thirty key export sectors showed positive growth in February. Services exports are estimated to have risen, increasing the services surplus. For April-February 2023-24 the overall trade deficit and the merchandise trade deficit both narrowed versus the prior year, supported by declining imports in several categories and growth in non petroleum, non gems & jewellery exports.

Minimum investment requirement for EV manufacturing set; import concessions and localization timelines tied to guarantees and duty conditions.
The scheme conditions concessional customs treatment and import allowances on a minimum investment, staged domestic value addition (DVA) targets by specified deadlines, and commencement of local commercial production; aggregate duty relief and annual import limits are capped against the investment or incentive ceiling. Investment commitments must be secured by a bank guarantee, which may be invoked for failure to meet the DVA or minimum investment criteria.

E-commerce export facilitation: MoU to provide capacity building and logistics support enabling MSMEs to enter international markets.
A memorandum of understanding establishes an e-commerce export facilitation partnership between the national foreign trade implementing agency and a global logistics provider to support MSMEs across identified districts under the District as Export Hubs initiative by delivering capacity building, training, workshops, expert handholding, and a start-up kit to make exporters export-ready and address logistics challenges in cross-border e-commerce, aligned with the Foreign Trade Policy 2023.

Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement expands preferential market access, targeted investment promotion and services liberalisation under binding commitments.
The TEPA creates a comprehensive preferential framework covering market access for goods and services, rules of origin, trade facilitation, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers, trade remedies, investment promotion and IPR. It includes EFTA commitments to promote targeted investments into India excluding portfolio flows and linked to direct employment, while India retains protections for specified sensitive sectors and preserves effective duties on certain imports. The pact further liberalises services modes, envisages mutual recognition in professional services, aligns IPR at TRIPS level and embeds sustainable development and trade procedural cooperation.

Gender-inclusive trade facilitation measures to boost women's participation and mandate safe, gender-sensitive workplace infrastructure and training.
CBIC directed field formations to ensure representation of women in trade facilitation committees, establish dedicated help desks and processing mechanisms for women traders and women logistics service providers, provide targeted training and upskilling for women in logistics and customs brokerage, and to implement safe, gender-inclusive workplace infrastructure and regular gender-sensitisation training for staff and stakeholders.

RoDTEP extension to advance authorisation, EOU and SEZ units boosts export competitiveness amid global headwinds.
Extension of the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) Scheme to Advance Authorisation holders, Export Oriented Units and Special Economic Zone export units is notified, effective until 30.09.2024. The measure aims to refund embedded taxes and duties on exported products for these categories to improve export competitiveness. The scheme has been in operation since January 2021, supports items at the 8 digit ITC HS Code level, and operates within a specified budgetary allocation for the current financial year.

Agricultural export promotion: exposure visits and capacity-building created direct buyer links and strengthened FPO export readiness.
APEDA organised an exposure visit to the UAE for Purvanchal FPOs combining market visits, buyer engagement and follow-up capacity-building; this yielded immediate export leads including a fresh turmeric consignment, and the post-visit Varanasi program disseminated regulatory requirements, highlighted high-demand products, promoted Good Agricultural Practices, and reinforced enrolment and technical sensitisation of regional FPOs to strengthen export supply-chain compliance and market linkages.

Agricultural export promotion expands market access and mainstreams value-added millets under a targeted diversification strategy.
APEDA is implementing a diversification strategy to expand agricultural exports-focusing on fresh produce, processed foods and animal products-by partnering with global retailers, establishing sea logistics protocols to cut supply-chain costs, and mainstreaming value-added millet products under the Shree Anna brand. It supports startups, women entrepreneurs and Farmer Producer Organisations for international market participation and is initiating engagement in additional emerging-market fairs to broaden export access.

Export facilitation: sea trial shipment of Sangola pomegranates to US opens maritime trade route and strengthens quality assurance.
APEDA facilitated the first commercial sea trial shipment of Sangola pomegranates to the US after prior approval from an air shipment with irradiation treatment and a static sea trial with a national technical partner, enabling sign-off on sea transit phytosanitary and logistical conditions. The consignment, executed by an APEDA-registered exporter sourcing from registered Sangola farmers, reflects APEDA's interventions to resolve supply chain bottlenecks, promote Export Promotion Forums and enhance quality assurance to expand maritime market access and increase farmer premiums.

Electronic Cash Ledger payment enables multi bank online settlement for import duties on couriered goods, streamlining import payments.
Electronic Cash Ledger (ECL) is mandated as the mode of payment for import duties on goods arriving through International Courier terminals from 1 March 2024, enabling payments via multiple banks using internet banking and NEFT/RTGS and extending ECL use beyond cargo processed through EDI at ports, airports, ICDs and LCSs.