What is the RELIEF scheme? How it shields exporters from Gulf risks

RELIEF stands for Resilience and Logistics Intervention for Export Facilitation. It is a time-bound intervention under the government’s Export Promotion Mission, launched on March 19, 2026, after freight costs, insurance premiums and war-related risks surged along the Gulf and wider West Asia maritime corridor.
The scheme has three components. Component I gave up to 100 per cent risk cover above standard ECGC terms for shipments dispatched between February 14 and March 15, 2026. Component II, the part now extended to March 31, 2027, offers up to 95 per cent credit risk cover for qualifying new shipments, above ECGC’s usual 80 to 90 per cent.
Component III targets MSME exporters with no ECGC insurance during the disruption period, reimbursing up to 50 per cent of additional freight and insurance costs, capped at Rs 50 lakh per exporter. Of the scheme’s Rs 497 crore allocation, Rs 282 crore is ring-fenced for Component III.
The cover applies to full-container, less-than-container and reefer cargo, excluding energy shipments, for destinations including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Iraq, Iran and Israel. Premiums cannot rise beyond pre-disruption levels during the covered period.
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