Legally Binding FTA Commitments Key to Unlocking Global Markets for Indian Professionals: Commerce Secretary

New Delhi, December 24: Commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal has underlined the need for legally binding commitments on professional services under India’s free trade agreements to unlock greater access to global markets for Indian professionals, while stressing stronger stakeholder coordination and domestic ecosystem reforms.

Addressing a Chintan Shivir on professional services at Vanijya Bhawan on Tuesday, Agrawal said India’s services sector plays a critical role in economic growth, contributing significantly to domestic value addition compared to merchandise exports. The event was organised by the department of commerce under the ministry of commerce and industry, in association with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and the Services Exports Promotion Council, under the theme Expanding Global Horizons: Opportunities for Indian Professionals.

Highlighting India’s demographic dividend, the commerce secretary said the country is well positioned to meet rising global demand for professional services. However, he noted that realising this potential would require adoption of global best practices, continuous skill upgradation aligned with technological change, and greater openness in international trade in professional services to enhance competitiveness. He also encouraged professional bodies to increase participation in international conferences to facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration.

Setting the context for the deliberations, joint secretary Darpan Jain outlined the challenges and opportunities facing Indian professionals globally. Sectoral perspectives were shared by Charanjot Singh Nanda, president of ICAI; T. Dileep Kumar, president of the Indian Nursing Council; and Abhay Vinayak Purohit, president of the Council of Architecture. ICAI vice president Prasanna Kumar D. and SEPC chairperson Upasana Arora also addressed the inaugural session.

The Chintan Shivir was structured around four thematic sessions focusing on making Indian professionals globally ready, strengthening international mobility through mutual recognition agreements and memoranda of understanding, developing professional networks and chapters abroad, and leveraging FTAs to boost exports of professional services.

Participants discussed the need for professional bodies to review existing rules and regulations governing practice and to recalibrate training and skill development programmes in line with advances in artificial intelligence and digital technologies. The ICAI playbook was widely appreciated for its market-oriented approach, including international chapters, a dedicated international directorate, and certification courses focused on technology and AI. Other professional bodies were encouraged to adapt similar models to their respective sectors.

Deliberations on mutual recognition agreements focused on challenges in negotiating MRAs, improving utilisation of existing agreements, and defining clear outcome metrics to assess their effectiveness. The need to make India’s sectoral regulatory frameworks more “recognition-ready” was emphasised, particularly in the context of global capability centres and the rapid expansion of digitally delivered services.

On free trade agreements, discussions centred on future-proofing digital delivery of professional services, addressing mobility-related provisions, and streamlining domestic qualification requirements and procedures. Participants also highlighted the importance of greater openness to foreign professionals practising in India to create mutually beneficial outcomes, while addressing issues related to data protection and emerging opportunities from foreign universities establishing campuses in India.

The department of commerce said it will take forward the action points emerging from the Chintan Shivir in collaboration with stakeholders to provide fresh momentum to India’s professional services sector as it seeks to expand its global footprint.