Government Approves RELIEF To Support Exporters Amid Gulf Disruptions

24 Mar 2026 CW Team

The time-bound intervention targets exporters facing extraordinary freight escalation, higher insurance premia and war-related risks and is designed to cover shipments already in transit as well as prospective exports. An inter-ministerial group on supply chain resilience was set up on March two, 2026 and began daily review meetings on March three, 2026 with ministries, financial institutions, logistics stakeholders and exporter associations. Measures included procedural relaxations for stranded cargo, waivers of storage and dwell charges and advisories to improve transparency in shipping pricing.

ECGC Ltd, wholly owned by the Government of India, will act as the nodal implementing agency for verification, claim processing, disbursement and monitoring. The intervention offers three components: exporters with existing ECGC cover will receive up to 100 per cent additional risk coverage for eligible consignments between February 14, 2026 and March 15, 2026; exporters planning consignments in the next three months from March 16, 2026 to June 15, 2026 may obtain ECGC cover with government support for up to 95 per cent coverage; and eligible non-ECGC-insured micro, small and medium enterprise exporters may be eligible for partial reimbursement of up to 50 per cent subject to conditions and documentary verification, with a ceiling of Rs. 5 million (mn) per exporter.

The intervention will be funded under the Export Promotion Mission with an approved financial outlay of Rs. 4.97 billion (bn), and ECGC will maintain a dashboard-based monitoring system for real-time tracking of claims and fund utilisation. The EPM steering committee will periodically review the operation and may recommend modification, continuation or withdrawal to preserve exporter confidence and employment.

The Government has approved RELIEF, the Resilience and Logistics Intervention for Export Facilitation under the Export Promotion Mission, to support exporters affected by maritime disruptions in the Gulf and wider West Asia corridor. Recent developments around the Strait of Hormuz caused vessel diversions, longer routes, congestion at transshipment hubs and conflict-linked surcharges that raised logistics costs and operational uncertainty. The time-bound intervention targets exporters facing extraordinary freight escalation, higher insurance premia and war-related risks and is designed to cover shipments already in transit as well as prospective exports. An inter-ministerial group on supply chain resilience was set up on March two, 2026 and began daily review meetings on March three, 2026 with ministries, financial institutions, logistics stakeholders and exporter associations. Measures included procedural relaxations for stranded cargo, waivers of storage and dwell charges and advisories to improve transparency in shipping pricing. ECGC Ltd, wholly owned by the Government of India, will act as the nodal implementing agency for verification, claim processing, disbursement and monitoring. The intervention offers three components: exporters with existing ECGC cover will receive up to 100 per cent additional risk coverage for eligible consignments between February 14, 2026 and March 15, 2026; exporters planning consignments in the next three months from March 16, 2026 to June 15, 2026 may obtain ECGC cover with government support for up to 95 per cent coverage; and eligible non-ECGC-insured micro, small and medium enterprise exporters may be eligible for partial reimbursement of up to 50 per cent subject to conditions and documentary verification, with a ceiling of Rs. 5 million (mn) per exporter. The intervention will be funded under the Export Promotion Mission with an approved financial outlay of Rs. 4.97 billion (bn), and ECGC will maintain a dashboard-based monitoring system for real-time tracking of claims and fund utilisation. The EPM steering committee will periodically review the operation and may recommend modification, continuation or withdrawal to preserve exporter confidence and employment.

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