DGFT Reconstitutes Board of Trade: 40 Non-Official Members Nominated Under Notification No. 18/2026-2027
Background and Overview
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has issued Notification No. 18/2026-2027 dated 2nd June 2026, formally reconstituting the non-official membership of the Board of Trade (BOT). This new notification supersedes the earlier Notification No. 21/2015-2020 dated 8th July 2022, under which only 29 non-official members had been nominated. The revised composition significantly expands the BOT's non-official representation to 40 members, bringing in leadership from a wide cross-section of Indian industry, trade, finance, healthcare, technology, logistics, agriculture, and professional bodies.
It is relevant to recall that the Board of Trade itself came into existence through the merger of the Council for Trade Development and Promotion with the pre-existing BOT, effected via Notification No. 11/2015-20 dated 17th July 2019. The official and ex-officio membership of the BOT had been established at that time, while the non-official membership has been periodically updated, as now done through this June 2026 notification.
Full Text of Notification No. 18/2026-2027
Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Department of Commerce
Directorate General of Foreign Trade
Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi
Notification No. 18/2026-2027-DGFT | Dated: 02 June, 2026
S.O. (E)– The Board of Trade (BOT) has been constituted by merging the Council for Trade Development and Promotion with the Board of Trade vide Notification No. 11/2015-20, dated 17th July, 2019. Official Members and Ex-officio Members of the BOT were nominated through this Notification. Subsequently, vide Notification No. 21/2015-2020 dated 8th July, 2022, 29 Non-Official Members were nominated as Members of Board of Trade.
2. In supersession of Notification No. 21/2015-2020 dated 8th July, 2022 nominating 29 Members as Non-official members, the following 40 members from various backgrounds are nominated as Non-official Members for the Board of Trade: