Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Wednesday felicitated winners of the Logistics Excellence, Advancement and Performance Shield (LEAPS) 2025 Awards and released the LEADS 2025 report in New Delhi, underscoring India’s push to strengthen logistics efficiency, expand global trade partnerships and enhance export competitiveness.
Addressing the event organised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Goyal said India’s Free Trade Agreements now cover 38 developed economies across nine FTAs, with four already operational and five more expected within the next 12 months. He added that negotiations are underway with several regions including the GCC, Canada, Mexico, Chile, SACU and Mercosur, as India seeks to widen market access and deepen global integration. He also highlighted that India achieved record exports of USD 863 billion in 2025-26 and has set an ambitious target of USD 1 trillion for the current year.
The Minister said logistics cost reduction remains a key national priority under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, driven by infrastructure expansion, GST reforms, digitisation and ease of doing business measures. He noted that initiatives such as decriminalisation of nearly 1,000 offences and reduction of compliance burdens are improving operational efficiency across sectors.
The LEADS 2025 report, released alongside the awards, introduced a revised four-tier classification of States and Union Territories based on logistics performance, with Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Mizoram and Delhi placed as “Exemplars” in their respective categories. The LEAPS Awards recognised excellence across core logistics, MSMEs, startups, institutions and special categories, with firms like FedEx, MSC, Safexpress, DP World Rail Logistics, Delhivery and IIM Mumbai among the winners.
