Commerce department recast to bring more focus on trade policy making

The DGFT has been already working on the much-delayed foreign trade policy, which is now expected to be released by the end of September

The commerce department has restructured the organisation separating multilateral and bilateral trade-negotiating divisions to allow greater focus on ongoing talks for free-trade deals.

It has also taken away from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) its power to make foreign trade policy, leaving it only with the function of regulation and promotion of foreign trade.  

The Trade Policy Division has been bifurcated to Trade Negotiation Wing-Bilateral and Trade Negotiation Wing-Multilateral (TNM) to be headed by additional secretaries in the departments. The move is significant at a time when India is negotiating free-trade agreements (FTAs) with countries like the United