DGFT Clears Bulk of Pending Certificates Under AA, EPCG Schemes

Conducted between March 1 and March 31, 2026, the campaign focused on faster disposal of EODCs under the Advance Authorisation (AA) and Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) schemes. EODCs are critical for the formal closure of export obligations, enabling the release of bank guarantees and bonds while ensuring compliance under India’s trade facilitation framework. During the drive, DGFT approved 12,690 EODCs in March, compared to 3,747 in February, marking a more than threefold increase. Approvals rose by 242 per cent under the AA scheme and 234 per cent under the EPCG scheme, reflecting coordinated efforts across DGFT’s regional authorities. The campaign led to the clearance of 59 per cent of pending cases under the AA scheme and 54 per cent under EPCG, substantially reducing the backlog. Processing efficiency also improved, with 97 per cent of available AA cases and 98 per cent of EPCG cases being handled during the period. As a result, the number of pending cases declined sharply from 15,360 as on March 1 to 3,966 by April 1, despite the addition of 6,740 new cases during the month. This represents an overall reduction of 74 per cent in in-progress cases. The March performance stands out when compared to the preceding eleven months (April 2025 to February 2026), during which 44,018 EODCs were approved, underscoring the impact of focused administrative intervention. Following the success of the initiative, the government has extended the special drive for a further two months from April 1 to May 31, 2026, with detailed guidelines issued on March 30. The initiative is expected to enhance ease of doing business by enabling faster closure of export obligations, reducing grievance burdens, and unlocking working capital for exporters through timely release of bank guarantees. (KNN Bureau)