India maps 12,167 HSN codes to ministries in first-ever guidebook for trade and industry

New HSN guidebook links every product code to a ministry, aims to sharpen trade talks and cut red tape.

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has released a Guidebook on Mapping of Harmonised System of Nomenclature (HSN) Codes, a first-of-its-kind exercise that assigns 12,167 product codes to 31 different ministries and departments.

The guidebook, prepared by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), was launched on September 20 in New Delhi during an event marking 10 years of Make in India and discussions on 'Next Gen-Reforms 2.0.'

Until now, many HSN codes, the standard system used globally to classify traded products, were often lumped under residual categories or lacked clear ministerial ownership. This created bottlenecks during trade negotiations, import substitution efforts, and industry grievance redressal.

By mapping codes to their relevant line ministries, the new guidebook is expected to:

Help align industrial policies with sector-specific needs
Strengthen India’s negotiating position in trade agreements
Streamline regulatory clearances and improve ease of doing business

The mapping process involved a review of the Allocation of Business Rules, 1961, and consultations across government and industry. DPIIT held inter-ministerial working group meetings, over 300 one-on-one sessions with ministries, and multiple rounds of stakeholder feedback before finalising the allocations.

Goyal said the exercise is a step toward building a data-driven, outcome-oriented industrial policy aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047. The guidebook also lays out three operational pillars:

Manufacture in India – strengthening value chains and workforce development
Strengthen Brand India – boosting the global perception of Indian goods
Make for the World – supporting trade talks to capture bigger export markets

The press statement stressed that the document is not just a classification tool but a policy instrument meant to guide investment, manufacturing, and trade strategies in the coming decades.