“In view of the evolving geopolitical situation in West Asia and its continuing impact on maritime logistics across the Gulf and adjoining regions, the government has expanded the list of eligible destinations under RELIEF, a time-bound intervention under the Export Promotion Mission,” the commerce and industry ministry said in a statement.
Terming the expansion key to ensure that exporters operating across the extended West Asia and North Africa corridor are “adequately supported during the ongoing disruptions”, it said: “This expansion is expected to further strengthen export resilience, sustain trade flows and support Indian exporters navigating the current geopolitical and logistics uncertainties”.
It also clarified that exporters obtaining a fresh ECGC whole turnover policy on or after March 16, 2026 would be eligible for support.
This clarification is aimed at ensuring greater clarity and facilitating wider participation of exporters, particularly new policyholders.
The intervention provides calibrated support across the export cycle, including for shipments already undertaken during the disruption period as well as prospective exports.
In a separate statement, the ministry said it has undertaken a series of targeted reforms to strengthen the functioning of Norms Committees (NCs) under the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).These measures are aimed at improving turnaround time, enabling early approvals and enhancing transparency and predictability under the Advance Authorisation (AA) Scheme.
DGFT administers the AA Scheme and the Duty-Free Import Authorisation (DFIA) Scheme under the Foreign Trade Policy. These schemes allow duty-free import of inputs that are physically incorporated in export products.