Government Notifies Market Access Guidelines under EPM:
The Ministry of Commerce & Industry has notified the first set of market access guidelines under the Export Promotion Mission (EPM) to enhance global market reach for Indian exporters.
- Exporters, especially MSMEs, receive funding for trade fairs, Buyer-Seller Meets (BSMs), Mega Reverse Buyer-Seller Meets (RBSMs), and trade delegations.
- Financial assistance will be provided for up to two delegates per firm, with a minimum delegation of 50 participants, of which at least 35% must be MSMEs.
- Firms eligible for up to 3 BSMs, MSMEs up to 4 BSMs per financial year.
- It is a single, digitally enabled umbrella framework aimed at strengthening India’s export ecosystem and enhancing the global competitiveness of MSMEs and labour-intensive sectors.
- The EPM merges fragmented schemes into a unified framework through two core sub-schemes:
- Niryat Protsahan: Provides financial support, including affordable trade finance, interest subvention, collateral aid, and credit enhancement for MSMEs.
- Niryat Disha: Focuses on non-financial enablers like quality compliance, branding, logistics support, trade fair participation, and district-level capacity building.
- It is anchored in a coordinated institutional framework involving the Department of Commerce, Ministry of MSME, Ministry of Finance, DGFT, Export Promotion Councils, and state governments.
- The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) serves as the implementing agency.
