By Newsgram Staff Writer

To help export sector gain momentum, Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today said that the government is setting up an advisory committee to suggest key key measures to boost export performance.

Exports play a key role in ensuring success of the Make In India initiative and government is committed to ease of doing business, said Nirmala Sitharaman.

Speaking at the ECGC Dun & Bradstreet Export Performance Award ceremony in the city on Saturday night, the Minister said " manufacturing in India can be much more than what it is today, from the point of view of what it contributes towards the GDP. When I say manufacturing in India, both in volume and value, I include our exporters, who even in difficult times have kept their nose above water."

The Minister asserted while a lot is being said, a lot is being done also at the government level. She said the e-biz portal launched recently by the Finance Minister was a great boon for the manufacturers and exporters. Another portal helps exporters gather information about which product is in demand where.

Sitharaman said the profile of the Indian exporters has changed over the last two decades and our products are no longer considered of inferior quality. " It is no longer the story that we would hear 20-30 years ago, that Indian products need quality enhancement, they need to be trustworthy, there are no arguments of this kind anymore. Many of the products like pharmaceuticals, automobile components, textiles, are reaching certain standards which make the nation proud " Sitharaman added. She further said access to markets abroad is restricted not because Indian exporters are found lacking in quality or product diversification, but because of the protectionist measures of countries which want to keep Indian exporters at a distance, in order to help their own exporters or protect their smaller and upcoming industries.