India: CITI Seeks 5-Year Extension of RoSCTL to Protect Apparel Exports

CITI urges India to extend RoSCTL beyond March 31, 2026 for 5 years and revise rates to offset 3–4% annual cost inflation.

It seeks removal of rebate caps, wider coverage (SEZs, EOUs, e-commerce) and DBT support for MSME exporters.

RoSCTL supports $22 billion in apparel and made-ups exports and is a tax-neutral, not subsidy, scheme.

The sector employs 11+ million people, with 8 lakh jobs protected over the last 5 years; exports could fall 25–50% without the scheme.

The push comes amid a 50% US tariff from Aug 27, 2025, as India targets $100 billion exports by 2030.