Govt sets up task force on employment-oriented export promotion

The government has constituted a task force of experts to find ways of enhancing India's exports with a major thrust on creation of productive jobs, especially through an expansion of the organised sector.

To provide a major thrust to job creation by enhancing India's exports, an Expert Task Force has, today, been constituted with the NITI Aayog Vice Chairman, Dr. Rajiv Kumar, as its chairperson.

A majority of the workers in the export-related sectors are employed in low-productivity, low-wage jobs in small, micro and own-account enterprises. An urgent and sustained expansion of the organised sector is essential to address unemployment and under-employment issue, says an official release.

While enabling a shift towards more labour-intensive goods and services that are destined for exports is needs for generating jobs, India needs to create an environment in which globally competitive exporters can emerge and flourish, says the release.

In order to create well-paid, formal sector jobs, the taskforce has been asked to propose a comprehensive plan of action to generate employment and alleviate under-employment in both goods and services sectors and low wages by boosting India's exports in key labour-intensive industries.

The taskforce will recommend sector-specific policy interventions in key employment sectors and measures to enhance trade in services with high employment potential while also identifying key macroeconomic factors constraining exports and suggesting methods to address these constraints.

The taskforce will assess the effectiveness of existing schemes to promote exports besides addressing issues related to logistics, export credits and trade facilitation

The task force will also suggest ways to enhance the availability of data on trade such that it is reliable, globally comparable and timely, particularly with respect to trade in services.

The task force headed by CEO and vice chairman of NITI Aayog, will include secretaries in the departments of commerce, industrial policy and promotion, economic affairs and textiles besides leading economists and industry experts as members. The task force will submit its report by November 2017.