Government Unveils Draft Guidelines for Global ‘Brand India’ Initiative to Boost Exports

The Centre has released draft operational guidelines for a new global Brand India initiative aimed at enhancing the international visibility and competitiveness of Indian goods and services. The programme forms part of the ₹25,060 crore Export Promotion Mission and seeks to establish a unified branding strategy to strengthen India’s export performance in global markets.

Issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), the proposed framework focuses on developing a cohesive national brand identity that reflects the quality, innovation and reliability of Indian products. The government has invited stakeholders to submit comments on the draft guidelines within 30 days before the framework is finalised.

Under the proposal, a Unified Brand India Framework will be created to guide branding, labelling, export packaging and promotional activities across priority sectors. The framework will identify key products, services, export categories and overseas markets at regular intervals to ensure that branding strategies remain aligned with evolving global demand and international quality standards.

A central element of the initiative is the creation of an Anchor Brand, which will serve as the common identity for Indian exports. The brand is expected to represent attributes such as trust, quality, innovation, traceability, craftsmanship, sustainability, cultural heritage and adherence to recognised certification standards.

The guidelines also propose financial support for organisations undertaking export branding initiatives. Assistance will be available for activities including product branding, export packaging, sector-specific promotional campaigns, multilingual marketing material, digital outreach, overseas product showcases and international branding events.

Government departments at the Centre and state level, offices under the Department of Commerce, the Ministry of External Affairs and Indian Missions abroad will be among the agencies eligible to participate in the initiative.

By bringing various export promotion efforts under a single national identity, the government aims to improve the global recognition of Indian products, encourage greater value addition and support the country’s long-term goal of moving up the global value chain through innovation-driven, high-quality exports.