Government Expands Global Market Access for Indian Service Providers Through FTAs and Trade Promotion Initiatives

 

The trend in India’s services exports over the last five years from 2021-22 to 2025-26, along with the major sectors driving this growth are:

Sectors	2021- 22	2022- 23	2023- 24	2024- 25	2025- 26	Share in Total Services exports
	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(FY26)
Total Services	254.5	325.3	341.1	387.5	421.3	100.0%
Sub-sectors contributing to major share of services exports
Telecommunications, computer and information services	125.6	152.3	163.6	183.3	206.6	49.03%
Business services	58.9	80.3	88.6	107.2	124.2	29.5%

In order to enhance services exports, Government of India follows a multi-pronged strategy. It comprises the following:

1. Focused strategies for enhancing exports are undertaken for specific markets and sectors.

2. Domestic sectoral challenges impeding services exports are identified in consultation with the stakeholders and addressed through concerned departments/ ministries.

3. Through Free Trade Agreements

• Government has secured comprehensive market access and national treatment in services to allow Indian service providers to provide services in key sectors on no less favourable terms through different modes such as cross-border (including digital mode), commercial presence in the FTA partner country and temporary movement of professionals to the partner country. India’s recent FTAs have incorporated disciplines on domestic regulation to ensure that authorisation processes for key services are time-bound, predictable, objective, impartial, and transparent. This ensures that Indian service suppliers do not face challenges in partner countries due to opaque, unpredictable or burdensome regulatory procedures. Through FTAs, India has been able to obtain structured, expedited routes that will facilitate temporary mobility of skilled Indian professionals to provide services in foreign markets.
• Facilitative provisions for time-bound negotiations of Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) between relevant professional bodies, to facilitate recognition of qualifications and associated licensing requirements. Such MRAs aim to ensure that partner nations accept each other's certifications, and professionals do not have to go through duplicative local testing, additional training, or lengthy re-certification processes before they can practice.
• Some other beneficial provisions are highlighted below :-
• India has secured supportive framework for Students in FTAs with Australia and New Zealand.
• Supportive framework related to Social Security Agreements (SSA) to avoid double payments and ensure continuity of social security protection have been secured in recent FTAs such as India-Oman CEPA, the side letter on SSA provisions in India-New Zealand FTA, Double Contribution Convention in India-UK CETA, and in India-EU FTA. Based on the understanding arrived under the India- UK CETA, an agreement on Social Security Contributions was signed on Feb. 10, 2026. This Agreement will ensure that workers will not be required to pay double contributions towards their social security, when they work temporarily in each other’s territory.
• Traditional Medicine: Dedicated provisions/ annexes are secured in agreements with Oman and EU.
• Double Taxation related provisions negotiated in India-Australia ECTA, securing commitments to eliminate Double taxation on India's IT services.

4. Trade promotion through schemes, and participation in and organization of international fairs/ exhibitions

SEPC, set up by the Department of Commerce, plays a key role in services trade promotion and undertakes market development, trade facilitation, policy advocacy, capacity building, buyer-seller engagement, international outreach and export-promotion activities across major services sectors. They are supported in this through financial assistance under the Export Promotion Mission of Government of India. Few of the recent activities undertaken by SEPC are highlighted below:

• 2nd edition of Medical Value Tourism (MVT) Summit on 4-5 April 2025 organised with Tamil Nadu government, featuring hospitals, wellness centres, AYUSH centres and medical institutions from Tamil Nadu.
• Indian Pavilions in association with relevant ministries and departments: at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2025, from 28 April to 1 May 2025 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai; at Global Education & Training Exhibition (GETEX) held from 30th April 2025 – 2nd May 2025 at Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre, Dubai, UAE; at MIPCOM 2025 in Paris, France from 13-16 October 2025 on the theme "Waves Bazaar"; at Malaysia Health & Pharma Expo from 7-9th October 2025 in Kula Lumpur, Malaysia; at Tokyo Games Show from 24-26 September 2025 at Tokyo, Japan; and at GAMESCOM 2025 from 20-24th August 2025 at Cologne, Germany showcasing Indian companies’ capabilities in gaming and entertainment segments.
• Organised events such as Future-Ready Logistics in India on 29th August 2025; International Conference on Transforming Higher Education & Skilling towards Viksit Bhat@2024 & Education Excellence Awards 2025 on 19th September 2025; Finolegal Convergence Summit 2025 on 5th December 2025 on the theme: “Regulation. Innovation. Globalization– Building India’s Legal–Fintech Edge”; and a National Dialogue on School Education Building Future- Ready Learners for a Skilled India on 13th December 2025 at New Delhi.

This information was given by Minister of State for Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Shri Jitin Prasada in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

Services export promotion expands market access, professional mobility, qualification recognition and trade outreach for Indian service suppliers. Services export promotion combines targeted market and sector strategies, removal of domestic impediments, trade agreements and export-promotion activity. Free Trade Agreements secure market access and national treatment for Indian service suppliers, support transparent and time-bound authorisation processes, and facilitate temporary mobility of skilled professionals. Mutual Recognition Agreement provisions seek recognition of qualifications and licensing requirements. The framework also addresses social-security coordination, student mobility, traditional medicine and double-taxation commitments for IT services. The Services Export Promotion Council supports market development, trade facilitation, capacity building and international outreach.