New DGFT Ajay Kumar Bhalla assumes office

The Dollar Business Bureau 

Ajay Kumar Bhalla (IAS) has assumed the charge of Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) on Monday.

Bhalla, a 1984 batch IAS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre and Additional Secretary in Commerce Ministry, has taken over from Anup Wadhawan, who had been serving as the interim DGFT since September 2015.

Bhalla is the fourth DGFT to assume the post in less than three years. Wadhawan served as the interim DGFT for around a year and prior to him Pravir Kumar (IAS) also served for over a year.

DGFT is entrusted with responsibilities for formulating and implementing the foreign trade policy, with the main objective of promoting India’s exports. 

The appointment of Bhalla brings a positive sign for the industry. Seeing his experience and track record, the industry believes that he will bring stability and dynamism to the office. The foreign trade fraternity has high hopes that Bhalla’s appointment will prove to be good for the country specially during the time when performance of exports has been lackluster in the last few years.