Structural changes in India's foreign trade since 1991

Before 1991, an Indian exporter needed government clearance for almost every step of selling goods abroad, and imports were tightly restricted to protect domestic industry. Today, software services alone connect Indian firms to clients on every continent with barely a form to fill. That transformation in what India trades, with whom, and how freely, is what this topic asks you to trace.

In two minutes

Since the 1991 reforms, India's foreign trade has undergone a structural shift — away from a restricted, import-substituting regime toward greater openness, a changing composition of exports and imports, diversification of trading partners, and growing integration with the world economy, alongside a persistent trade deficit.

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