India engineering services exports surge eightfold

According to a India — NITI Aayog report titled 'India's Services Sector: Insights on Regulatory Regime in Professional Services', India's engineering services exports surged nearly eightfold over the past decade, from USD 1.77 billion in 2014-15 to USD 13.77 billion in 2024-25, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.8%. Imports of engineering services remained largely stable, rising from USD 1.59 billion to USD 1.73 billion over the same period, with a CAGR of just 0.9%. The report, citing State Bank of India data on invisibles, highlighted that engineering is a significant employment-generating profession, accounting for 67.2% of all technical degrees between 2015 and 2022. Despite the sector's growth, the report flagged the absence of a comprehensive regulatory framework for the engineering profession in India, unlike architecture and medicine. It noted that attempts to introduce an Engineers Bill have not yet been enacted by Parliament. India — NITI Aayog recommended establishing a central statutory framework for engineers engaged in construction and infrastructure-related activities to enforce minimum standards, prescribe a code of ethics, and introduce accountability mechanisms. It also suggested recognising architects and engineers as allied professionals, citing Singapore's regulatory model, to provide clarity in overlapping work areas.