The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has successfully concluded a time-bound Special Campaign for the expeditious issuance of Export Obligation Discharge Certificates (EODCs) under the Advance Authorisation (AA) and Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) Schemes. The campaign was conducted from March 1, 2026 to March 31, 2026 and was monitored through daily review meetings chaired by senior DGFT officials.
EODCs are critical instruments for the formal closure of export obligations. They enable the release of bank guarantees and bonds, reduce exporter grievance burden, and ensure effective compliance monitoring under India’s trade facilitation framework. The campaign has significantly accelerated disposal and will benefit exporters across the country.
EODC approvals in March 2026 recorded a sharp increase over February 2026, rising by 242 percent under the Advance Authorisation scheme and 234 percent under the EPCG scheme. A total of 12,690 EODCs were approved in March, compared to 3,747 in February, representing a more than threefold increase of 3.39 times. This reflects the effective mobilisation and coordinated efforts of DGFT Regional Authorities.
The campaign facilitated the clearance of 59 percent of the pending pipeline under the AA scheme and 54 percent under the EPCG scheme during March 2026, leading to a substantial reduction in backlog.
The Special Campaign resulted in the approval of 12,690 EODCs in a single month, compared to 44,018 approvals during the preceding eleven months from April 2025 to February 2026, underscoring the impact of focused administrative intervention in trade facilitation.
During March 2026, 13,238 out of 13,627 available AA EODC cases were processed, achieving a processing rate of 97 percent. Under the EPCG scheme, 8,281 out of 8,473 available cases were processed, reflecting a processing rate of 98 percent.
As a direct outcome of the Special Campaign, the number of in-progress cases declined significantly from 15,360 as on March 1, 2026 to 3,966 as on April 1, 2026. This reduction was achieved despite the addition of 6,740 new EODC cases during March 2026. The overall decline of 74 percent in in-progress cases highlights the effectiveness of the campaign in clearing backlog and expediting case resolution.
In view of the success of the campaign, the Special Drive for expeditious issuance of EODCs has been extended for a further period of two months from April 1, 2026 to May 31, 2026. Detailed guidelines for the extension were issued on March 30, 2026.
By enabling faster closure of export obligations, facilitating the release of blocked bank guarantees, and reducing the grievance burden on exporters, the initiative underscores the Government’s commitment to fostering an exporter-friendly ecosystem and enhancing ease of doing business.
The Press Release can be accessed at: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2247919®=3&lang=1
