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Indian Trade Service (ITS)

The Indian Trade Service (ITS) was established in 1977, and direct hiring through the UPSC was initiated in 1985. It is a Central Organized Group ‘A’ Service. The first batch of ITS joined in 1986. The DGFT is in charge of the day-to-day operation of the Cadre, and the Department of Commerce is the Cadre Controlling Authority for the Indian Trade Service.

The Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s Attached Office is the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).

The positions held by ITS officials in the Ministry of Commerce and other trade agencies (WTO, UN ESCAP, Trade Boards, etc.) are a significant indicator of the trade front’s dynamism. Individual officers are assigned to the DGFT, SEZs, DGAD, Trade policy division, Trade dispute resolution division, Logistics Division, and other departments within the Department of Commerce.

Role of Indian Trade Service Officers

An Indian Trade Service Officer has to serve in Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Department of Commerce, World Trade Organisation, SEZs, Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and various other ministries. Apart from these, they get opportunity to serve at WTO, UN ESCAP, UNCTAD etc.

At Director general of foreign trade

  • Formulate the export-import policies and implement them.
  • Manage a variety of export promotion initiatives and export incentive programmes.
  • Monitoring the exports obligations.
  • Tariff Rate Quota allocations.
  • Import and Export licensing and regulation thereof
  • The Foreign Trade Regulations include functions for investigation, enforcement, and adjudication.

And many more functions they perform at DGFT.

At Department of Commerce

The Department of Commerce (DOC) is responsible for formulating suitable policies and putting them into practise in order to develop, promote, and regulate India’s international trade and commerce. It serves as the focal department for the country’s external trade affairs.

The  role of an ITS officers is to facilitate creation of enabling environment and infrastructure for accelerated growth of India’s trade in goods and services. External trade negotiations and trade agreements at multilateral, regional and bilateral levels are negotiated by the Department.

At present posts, up to the Director level, have been kept reserved in the DOC for the Indian Trade Service officers.

At Special Economic Zones

ITS officers supervise the operation of the zone and involve in liaisoning with the respective State and Central Government agencies for the successful operation of the Zones.

“The Special Economic Zones (SEZ) in the country, notified under the SEZ Act, 2005, are hubs for economic activities related to foreign trade, with the objectives of generation of additional economic activities, promotion of exports of goods and services, promotion of investment from domestic and foreign sources, and creation of employment opportunities along with the development of infrastructure facilities.”

SEZs are managed in accordance with the SEZ Act of 2005 and the SEZ Rules of 2006, and each Zone is led by a Development Commissioner (Selected from the ITS service) who has been appointed by the Ministry of Commerce to oversee the operation of the Zone, including approving the units within the zone and maintaining contact with the relevant State and Central Government agencies for the Zones’ successful operation.

Other personnel from various departments, including Customs and Excise, assist the Development Commissioner in managing the Zone.

At Directorate General of Anti Dumping

“The Directorate General of Anti-dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) was established in 1998 to provide an organizational structure to implement WTO Agreement on Antidumping (ADA) and Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (ASCM) and the corresponding municipal laws. Many ITS officers are posted in DGAD from time to time.”

To carry out antidumping and anti-subsidy investigations as investigating officers to investigate the nature and extent of dumping and/or subsidisation and to recommend the extent of duty to neutralise the effect of dumping and/or subsidisation, the investigation wing of the DGAD is solely staffed by members of the Indian Trade Service up to the level of Directors.

Roles in various ministries

ITS officers occasionally work for different other ministries, departments, and organisations in the centre and states in addition to the Ministry of Commerce. In departments like the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Ministry of Power, the Ministry of Home Affairs, etc., officers have excelled. For ITS officers, three positions have been set aside: one in the Ministry of External Affairs (Deputy Secretary post), one in the Ministry of Textiles (Joint Secretary post), and one in the Ministry of Agriculture (Joint Secretary post).

Training

The ITS probationers undergo mandatory Foundation-course training at various designated

academies in co-ordination with LBSNAA-Mussourie. Probationers for the Indian Trade Service are then trained at the esteemed Indian Institute of Foreign Trade in New Delhi.

The training is divided into class room teachings and practical training in form of various attachments.

India’s Foreign Trade Policy, the World Trade Organization Framework, international business marketing, macro- and microeconomics, human resource management, and other topics are covered in the classroom instruction.

The probationers also get an opportuning to learn a foreign language during the training.

To expose the probationers to the sector, they are associated with various ports and manufacturing facilities. Their abilities are further developed while they are on attachment to other government agencies and institutions, such as NACIN, FIEO, Customs and Excise, Foreign Service Institute (FSI, New Delhi), and at other institutions of national importance, PSUs, autonomous establishments, and international institutions and organizations.

ITS officers also undergo some training in their mid-career. The mid-career training of ITS officers includes training in India as well as in an internationally acclaimed university outside India. Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad, provided the training in India for earlier batches. The officers were sent to USA, Switzerland etc to complete the foreign component of the training. The officers are sent for short term WTO related training.

Career prospect in the service

An ITS officer starts his career in Group A as Assistant Director General of Foreign Trade. After completion of 4 years in the service, an officer is promoted to Deputy Director General of Foreign Trade.  After completing the 9th to 14th year in the service, the officers are promoted to the Joint Director General of the Foreign Trade. The apex rank that an ITS Officer hold considering the cadre strength is of an Additional Direct General of Foreign Trade which is a Joint Secretary level post.

“The sanctioned strength of ITS, as on date, is 191, comprising of 72 posts of Assistant DGFT at JTS level, 44 posts of Deputy DGFT at STS level (inclusive of NFSG), 48 posts of Joint DGFT at JAG level and 26 posts of Additional DGFT at SAG level and 1 post at the HAG level. Cadre Review of the ITS has recently been completed.”

As per the current Cadre Structure an ITS officer can rise up-to the HAG Scale at the level of

Additional Secretary to the Government of India rising through the posts of Under Secretary,

Deputy Secretary, and Joint Secretary.

Grade Position / Role Years of Service
Addl Director General of Foreign Trade (JS level) Policy makers in the area of international trade. Heads of Zones. Development commissioners at various special economic zones etc. 19th year onwards
Jt. Director General of Foreign Trade – Director scale Providing inputs for policy making at Department of Commerce and DGFT. Heading various field offices of DGFT. Handling responsibilities at various multilateral and international organizations. Part of key negotiation teams at international forums in the matter of trade. 14 year onwards
Joint Director General of Foreign Trade Field postings at DGFT field offices, implementing foreign trade policy of India, export promotion activities, providing policy inputs for policy making in the area of international trade. Interacting with state governments, export promotion bodies, running training programs. At Department of Commerce, acting as key players in negotiation teams, as investigating officer for anti-dumping investigations and at various divisions of Department of Commerce. Part of policy making if posted at DGFT headquarters. 9th year to 14th year
Deputy Director General of Foreign Trade Field postings at DGFT field offices, implementing foreign trade policy of India, export promotion activities, providing policy inputs for policy making in the area of international trade. Interacting with state governments, export promotion bodies, running training programs. At Department of Commerce, acting as part of negotiation team at international level, as investigating officer for anti-dumping investigations and at various divisions of Department of Commerce. 4th year to 9th year
Assistant Director General of Foreign Trade Probation, training and posting at field offices (RAs) of DGFT, Department of Commerce. Initial
Source :- Wikipedia

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