West Asia crisis: Govt expands export insurance scheme
“Given the evolving geopolitical situation in West Asia and its ongoing impact on maritime logistics in the Gulf and neighboring regions, the government has expanded the list of eligible destinations under RELIEF, a time-bound intervention under the Export Promotion Mission,” the ministry of commerce and industry said in a statement. he said.
Describing the expansion as key to ensuring that exporters operating in the extended West Asia and North Africa corridor are “adequately supported during ongoing disruptions”, the organization said: “This expansion is expected to further strengthen export resilience, sustain trade flows and support Indian exporters to cope with current geopolitical and logistical uncertainties.”
It was also announced that exporters who obtained a new ECGC full turnover policy on or after 16 March 2026 will be eligible to receive support.
The purpose of this statement is to provide greater clarity and facilitate wider participation by exporters, particularly new policyholders.
The intervention provides calibrated support throughout the export cycle, including shipments already made and potential exports during the disruption period.
In a separate statement, the ministry said it has implemented a number of targeted reforms to strengthen the functioning of Norm Committees (NCs) under the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). These measures are aimed at improving turnaround time, enabling early approvals and increasing transparency and predictability under the Prior Authorization (AA) Scheme, he said.
DGFT manages the AA Scheme and Duty Free Import Authorization Scheme (DFIA) under the Foreign Trade Policy. These programs allow duty-free import of inputs that are physically incorporated into export products.
