Slowdown in industrial growth, exports to keep Suresh Prabhu busy

Commerce Minister's toughest challenge will be to keep the industrial growth machine chugging along

Apart from a slowdown in exports growth and widening trade deficit with China, new Commerce and Industry Ministry Suresh Prabhu has his task cut out. What more, the industries are still reeling from demonetisation and GST.
 

In Sunday's Cabinet reshuffle, former commerce and industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman was given the Defence portfolio. 

The three years of Sitharaman's tenure at the Commerce Ministry saw merchandise exports reach $310 billion in 2014-15, after which it hasn't been able to break the $300 billion annual barrier. It declined to $262 billion in 2015-16 and rose 4.7 per cent to $274 billion in the