Ministry of Commerce and Industry

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry administers two departments, the Department of Commerce and the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion.

The department of commerce is entrusted with formulating and implementing the foreign trade policy and responsibilities relating to multilateral and bilateral commercial relations, state trading, exportpromotion measures, and development and regulation of certain export oriented industries and commodities.

Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion was established in the year 1995, and in the year 2000 Department of Industrial Development was merged with it. This department is responsible for formulation and implementation of promotional and developmental measures for growth of theindustrial sector, keeping in view the national priorities and socio-economic objectives. While individual administrative ministries look after the production, distribution, development and planning aspects of specific industries allocated to them, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion is responsible for the overall Industrial Policy. It is also responsible for facilitating and increasing the FDI flows to the country. Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion is also responsible for intellectual property rights relating to patents, designs,trademarks, and geographical indication of goods and oversees the initiative relating to their promotion and protection.

Minsters in the Ministry