India’s engineering services exports have grown nearly eight times in the last 10 years, rising from $1.77 billion in 2014-15 to $13.77 billion in 2024-25, according to a Niti Aayog report. The report, India’s Services Sector: Insights on Regulatory Regime in Professional Services, said engineering services exports grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.8% during the period. It cited Reserve Bank of India data on invisibles.Engineering services imports, however, saw little change, rising from $1.59 billion in 2014-15 to $1.73 billion in 2024-25, growing at a CAGR of only 0.9%.The report also highlighted the importance of engineering as a career in India. Between 2015 and 2022, engineering made up 67.2% of all technical degrees, according to the India Employment Report 2024 cited by Niti Aayog.Despite the strong growth in engineering services exports, the report said India does not have a proper regulatory framework for the engineering profession. Professions such as architecture and medicine, on the other hand, have such frameworks.The government and professional bodies have made several attempts to bring in a law for engineers through an Engineers Bill. However, the Bill has not yet been passed by Parliament, leaving the profession largely unregulated.Niti Aayog has suggested a central statutory framework for engineers working in construction and infrastructure-related activities.“Establishing a central statutory framework for engineers engaged in construction and infrastructure related activities could help enforce minimum standards, prescribe a code of ethics, and introduce mechanisms for accountability,” the report stated.It further added that such a framework would be especially important for work linked to public safety. It could help improve structural safety, build public confidence and strengthen engineering as a profession in India.The report also suggested recognising architects and engineers as allied professionals in areas where their work overlaps.Citing Singapore’s regulatory model, Niti Aayog said this could allow both professionals to work in their own areas of expertise while also taking up activities where their roles overlap. At the same time, their separate professional responsibilities would remain clear.
