Govt forms EPB formally

NEW DELHI, July 25: The government on Friday announced the formal establishment of an Export Promotion Board to be headed by cabinet secretary T S R Subramanian, according to an official release.

Serviced by the ministry of commerce, the board will include secretaries in the ministries of commerce, finance, textiles, surface transport, and in the departments of electronics, industrial policy and promotion, agriculture and cooperation, revenue and civil aviation. The announcement comes more than three weeks after Prime Minister I K Gujral had an interactive session with the apex chambers of commerce and industry and the exporting community in Delhi on June 26.

The broad terms of reference of the board are to:

provide infrastructural and policy support through coordination among the ministries in the government;

improve export competitiveness and advantage for India by addressing cost-related elements which hinder exports;

ensure expeditious clearance of all export-related issues that require inter-ministerial discussion and resolution;

examine and recommend measures to deal with problems arising out of non-tariff barriers to Indian exports.