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The Centre connected Thursday launched the RELIEF (Resilience & Logistics Intervention for Export Facilitation) strategy with an outlay of Rs 497 crore to enactment Indian exporters facing disruptions owed to the ongoing struggle successful the Middle East, arsenic the authorities moved to cushion the interaction of rising freight costs, security premiums and shipping delays.The strategy has been introduced nether the Export Promotion Mission and volition beryllium implemented by the Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India (ECGC).Commerce caput Rajesh Agarwal said the bundle is aimed astatine helping exporters exposed to conflict-hit markets successful the region.“We are announcing a caller strategy nether the Export Promotion mission, particularly focused upon exporters exposed to these 17-18 geographies which person been impacted by the struggle to assuage immoderate of the challenges that our exporters are facing,” helium said, according to quality bureau PTI.
Daily monitoring mechanics acceptable up amid commercialized disruptions
The authorities has besides acceptable up an inter-ministerial radical (IMG) comprising the commerce ministry, ministry of petroleum and earthy gas, ports and shipping, section of fiscal services, ministry of outer affairs, RBI, CBIC and different departments to way the concern connected a regular basis.The radical is gathering each time to measure the evolving cargo question concern and find the request for further intervention.
Commerce caput described the concern arsenic 1 wherever the “Middle East struggle has an impact” and acknowledged determination are important “challenges owed to this conflict.”He added, “The authorities has travel unneurotic to acceptable up 2 inter-ministerial radical successful the Department of Commerce. We are gathering regular to measure the challenges. We are trying to perceive to them and respond to them.”
Scheme targets Gulf and Middle East export corridors
The RELIEF strategy chiefly covers consignments meant for transportation oregon trans-shipment to cardinal Gulf and Middle East destinations, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Israel and Yemen.Urgency down the strategy stems from disruptions astir the Strait of Hormuz, which person triggered further war-risk premiums and exigency struggle surcharges connected maritime cargo.It added that freight rates connected cardinal routes had surged by astir 90-100 per cent during the 2023-24 Red Sea crisis, and akin pressures are present weighing heavy connected exporters, particularly MSMEs with constricted moving capital.
Component I: Automatic export work alleviation and extortion for existing shipments
The archetypal constituent of the strategy offers automatic hold of export obligations for Advance Authorisations and EPCG authorisations falling owed betwixt March 1 and May 31, 2026, with the deadline present extended to August 31, 2026, without penalty.This constituent protects already insured shipments covered by ECGC successful the contiguous one-month model from February 14 to March 15, 2026.For exporters already insured by ECGC during that period, the authorities volition apical up compensation for warfare and governmental hazard losses beyond mean argumentation cover, portion keeping premiums astatine pre-disruption levels. The estimated enactment nether this constituent is Rs 56 crore.
Component II: Enhanced ECGC screen for upcoming exports
The 2nd constituent is designed for upcoming export consignments implicit the three-month play from March 16 to June 15, 2026, and aims to promote and facilitate ECGC coverage.This constituent volition supply unchangeable premiums and enhanced security screen of up to 95 per cent for caller shipments into the affected region. The estimated enactment nether this conception is Rs 159 crore.
Component III: MSME enactment for freight and security shock
The 3rd and largest constituent specifically targets MSME exporters that bash not person ECGC cover.It volition partially reimburse bonzer freight and security costs implicit the one-month play from February 14 to March 15, 2026, shielding smaller exporters from abrupt surcharge shocks.This conception volition reimburse up to 50 per cent of the further freight and security load for non-ECGC-insured MSME exporters shipping to the affected markets. It said this constituent carries the biggest allocation of the package, with an estimated outlay of Rs 282 crore.
Govt says purpose is to support exports moving and support marketplace share
The commerce caput underlined that the enactment bundle is meant not conscionable arsenic relief, but arsenic a strategical measurement to sphere India’s presumption successful cardinal overseas markets during the crisis.“There is simply a dependence connected our exports successful these countries, and we are trying to spot that adjacent successful these hard circumstances, immoderate exports we are capable to do, we are trying to enactment that also,” helium said, arsenic quoted by ANI.ECGC volition support a real-time monitoring dashboard for claims processing and money utilisation, portion an EPM Steering Committee volition oversee the strategy and tin reallocate funds depending connected however the concern evolves.Taken together, the RELIEF bundle signals that the authorities expects the Middle East struggle to support pressuring commercialized routes and logistics costs successful the adjacent term. The contiguous extremity appears to beryllium to forestall shipment disruptions, debar bid cancellations and guarantee Indian exporters, peculiarly MSMEs, bash not suffer marketplace stock successful a strategically important region.
