RAS question
MAS prioritises which exporters?
Correct answer: (B) MSMEs and first-time exporters.
The Market Access Support Intervention prioritises MSMEs and first-time exporters for stronger international market access.
Explanation
MAS, or the Market Access Support Intervention, is designed to strengthen global market access for Indian exporters, with explicit priority for MSMEs and first-time exporters. The PIB release says MAS is implemented under the NIRYAT DISHA sub-scheme of the Export Promotion Mission and is aimed at improving international market access, especially for these exporter groups. MAS is not framed as a general corporate subsidy or a government-enterprise-only programme. Its support structure, including buyer-seller meets, trade fairs, reverse buyer-seller meets and trade delegations, is meant to help exporters reach overseas buyers. PIB also mandates MSME participation in supported events and provides airfare support for small exporters, reinforcing the focus on smaller and newer participants.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Large corporates are not the prioritised category under MAS; MSMEs, first-time exporters and smaller exporters are the focus.
- (C) MAS supports Indian exporters through export-promotion bodies and market-access events, rather than restricting benefits to government enterprises.
- (D) Foreign companies are outside MAS's target group because the intervention strengthens market access for Indian exporters.
Concept
Export-promotion policy often turns on beneficiary targeting within government economic schemes. For RAS, beneficiary identification matters as much as recalling a scheme's full form.