·  Commerce Ministry plans 100-day reform agenda to ease FDI rules and boost startup incentives.

·  Proposals include relaxed environmental norms, e-commerce export promotion, and streamlined certification processes.

·  FDI grew 13% to $50 billion in 2024-25; government aims to strengthen local manufacturing and startups.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry is working on a 100-day reform action plan that may feature further opening up of the FDI policy, relaxing investments from contiguous countries, and providing more tax incentives to startups, said an official.

The proposals will also target easing some environmental standards for the leather and footwear industry, simplifying regulations to enhance exports through e-commerce centers, and harmonizing laboratory testing and certification standards across sectors. The government plans to speed India's path towards being a developed country through these revolutionary actions.

At the Lokmat Global Economic Convention, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal stated that over the next 100 days, the government will implement initiatives aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call on August 15 to fast-track India’s growth.

Between April and July 2025-26, exports increased by 3.07% to $149.2 billion, while imports surged by 5.36% to $244.01 billion, leaving a trade deficit of $94.81 billion during the period. FDI into India rose by 13% to $50 billion in 2024-25.

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Today, the majority of FDI comes into India in the automatic route, but the investments coming from the countries with land borders with India- China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, and Afghanistan are subject to compulsorily requiring government approval. In a pre-budget Economic Survey in July 2024, the ability to invite China's FDI was noted as a way to build domestic manufacturing and increase exports.

On August 15, Prime Minister Modi also made a 10-year commitment to creating an indigenous defence shield for India's sensitive military and civilian establishments, with an emphasis on less foreign technology dependence, including manufacturing jet engines for fighter planes indigenously.

The government is also working towards developing the startup ecosystem through providing them with incentives in the form of income tax relief. DGFT, which is the arm of the commerce ministry, is striving to facilitate exports through e-commerce sites, sensing the vast potential of this platform.