Indian missions worldwide roped in to propel exports: MEA

Indian missions the world over are being harnessed in the cause of channelling a coordinated push for exports — and for import substitution through domestic production.

As part of the effort, the Indian missions have been directed to flag non-tariff barriers in their countries of operation, and also identify new items that can be exported from India and imports that can be substituted through domestic production, a senior government official said.

The Ministry of External Affairs is also working to open up universal membership of the international solar alliance, which is currently restricted to countries within the two tropics, said Rahul Chhabra, Secretary (ER), MEA, during an interactive video conference on the role of India’s economic diplomacy in making India self-reliant, organised by the PHDCCI on Friday.

Elaborating on how Indian missions were responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, Chhabra said that all missions had been empowered to help promote India’s trade, which had dipped considerably due to the lockdown in the country and a fall in global demand. “Missions have been asked to identify non-trade barriers and new products that can be exported. They are also looking at goods that are being imported from there (the countries where the missions are located) into India and analyse if domestic manufacturers can step in,” he said.

Missions are also playing an important role in presenting India as an alternative and low-cost manufacturing industry. They are in touch with export promotion councils and are helping to set up B2B meetings or B2C meetings, Chhabra added.

The Secretary encouraged exporters to reach out to the missions with their proposals, and pointed out that there were adequate resources in the form of market expansion activities budget, trade promotion budget and State facilitation fund.

He emphasised that the objective of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ was not to turn inwards, but to make India the nerve centre of the global supply chain.

India’s energy security was one of the main focus areas for the MEA, and a lot of work was happening in the area even during the pandemic, Chhabra said.

Particular attention was being given to India’s engagement with the international solar alliance, and efforts were on to universalise it, the Secretary said. “So far, the solar alliance has been restricted to mostly countries within the tropics. We want to universalise it. We have been working on it for the last few weeks and we have managed to get the requisite number of approvals. Very soon it will be open for universal membership,” he said. The international solar alliance, which was launched at India’s initiative, has 121 member countries.

Efforts are also on to upgrade India’s status at the International Energy Agency, a Paris-based body for energy dialogue, Chhabra said. India is, at present, an associate member of the body.

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