Piyush Goyal Launches Guidebook on
Mapping of HSN Codes
·
Guidebook on Mapping of Harmonized System
of Nomenclature (HSN) Codes unveiled by Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal
·
The Guidebook marks a pivotal milestone in
the journey of India towards Viksit Bharat@2047 by serving as a catalyst for sharper
policy interventions and effective trade negotiations through mapping of products
to their relevant Ministries and Departments
Union
Minister of Commerce & Industry, Piyush Goyal, released the Guidebook on Mapping of Harmonized System of
Nomenclature (HSN) Codes on 20th September 2025 at the event
marking 10 Years of Make in India
in New Delhi.
Prepared
by DPIIT, the Guidebook maps 12,167 HSN Codes to 31 Ministries/Departments,
aiming to:
·
Enable
data-driven manufacturing development, investment promotion, and trade
facilitation.
·
Strengthen
domestic production and sectoral growth.
·
Support
trade agreement negotiations aligned with national priorities.
·
Streamline
regulatory processes and ease of doing business.
The
initiative addresses long-standing challenges of misclassification and lack of
ownership of unmapped codes. The mapping exercise involved review of AoB Rules, extensive inter-ministerial consultations, over
300 one-on-one meetings, and industry inputs.
The
Guidebook includes a section “How to
Use the Guidebook?” structured around three pillars:
1.
Manufacture
in India –
sectoral policy alignment, value chain strengthening, skill development.
2.
Strengthen
Brand India –
improving global perception of ‘Made in India’ via quality enhancement.
3.
Make for
the World –
enabling effective trade negotiations and boosting exports.
Calling
it a strategic instrument, not just a classification exercise, Mr. Goyal
said the Guidebook will help achieve the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 by aligning policy, investment, and trade,
positioning India as a global manufacturing hub.
Union
Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, released the Guidebook on Mapping
of Harmonized System of Nomenclature (HSN) Codes prepared by the Department for
Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on 20th September 2025 during the
event on “Celebrating 10 Years of Make in India and Discussion on Next Gen-Reforms
2.0” in New Delhi. The Guidebook which provides allocation of 12,167 HSN Codes to
31 Ministries and Departments of the Government of India, aims to promote the adoption
of data-driven approach for manufacturing development, investment promotion, and
trade facilitation. It shall serve as the foundation for building a resilient and
competitive manufacturing ecosystem.
Emphasizing
the significance of this exercise, Mr. Goyal mentioned that the Guidebook is a significant
stride towards strengthening domestic production capacity and fostering sectoral
growth. Additionally, it will also support more effective Trade Agreement negotiations
which are aligned with national economic priorities and domain strengths. With the
facilitation for identification of the relevant Ministry or Department for specific
HSN Codes, this initiative will streamline regulatory processes and further enhance
ease of doing business. He added that the Guidebook shall play an integral role
in accomplishing the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047, where governance is responsive
to the needs of the industry.
The
origin of the development of the Guidebook lies in the observation of persistent
challenges arising during trade negotiations, import substitution efforts and redressal
of industry concerns due to the absence of definitive mapping of HSN Codes. Further,
unmapped Codes were misclassified as ‘Residual Products’ due to unclear ownership.
To address the matter, DPIIT followed a holistic and proactive approach, by undertaking
the value-chain and use-case analysis for each of the 12,167 HSN Codes sourced from
the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) Tariff Manual.
Following
this, a thorough review of the Allocation of Business (AoB)
Rules, 1961, was done for mapping of each HSN Code based on the nature and end-use
of the product. Once the preliminary mapping was completed, several Inter-Ministerial
Consultations, multiple Joint Working Group meetings, over 300 one-on-one meetings
with Ministries and Departments, and numerous Industry Stakeholder consultations
were conducted. The feedback received was systematically analyzed
and incorporated to ensure reflection of ground-level realities.
The
exercise eventually led to the mapping of 12,167 HSN Codes to 31 Ministries and
Departments. This extensive and consultative effort culminated in the development
of the Guidebook, which now stands as a foundational resource for advancing manufacturing
and trade related goals.
The
Guidebook on Mapping of HSN Codes is a critical enabler for Ministries and Departments
to translate policy intent into actionable outcomes. To support its effective use,
a dedicated section titled “How to Use the Guidebook?” has also been developed,
anchored in three operational pillars. The first segment on “Manufacture in India”,
focuses on positioning India as a global manufacturing hub by emphasizing on sector-specific
policy alignment, value chain strengthening, and workforce development. Building
on this foundation, the “Strengthen Brand India” pillar aims to elevate the global
perception of the ‘Made in India’ label through prioritization of quality enhancement.
Complementing these efforts, the “Make for the World” pillar is dedicated to support
more effective trade negotiations, thereby, enabling Indian products to capture
a greater share in international markets.
In
conclusion, the Guidebook on Mapping of HSN Codes is not merely a classification
exercise but a strategic instrument for shaping the industrial future of India.
It empowers Ministries and Departments to adopt an outcome-oriented approach to
economic growth and development by streamlining custodianship of products. As India
advances towards establishing itself as a global manufacturing hub, this Guidebook
becomes pivotal in aligning policy, investment, and trade related matters. With
the Guidebook as a catalyst, India is equipped to convert its industrial ambition
into international leadership by laying the foundation for a robust and future-ready
economy by 2047.