West Asia Crisis: Government Expands Eligible Destinations Under Relief Scheme for Exporters
Detailed Analysis
Government Expands RELIEF Scheme for Exporters Amid West Asia Crisis
The government has expanded the list of eligible destinations under the RELIEF (Resilience and Logistics Intervention for Export Facilitation) scheme for exporters, amidst the ongoing crisis in West Asia that has impacted the country's exports. The expansion comes as the government seeks to provide support to exporters facing disruptions due to the conflict.
On March 19, the government launched a Rs 497-crore RELIEF scheme to assist exporters facing disruptions due to the conflict in West Asia. The scheme provides calibrated support across the export cycle, including for shipments already undertaken during the disruption period as well as prospective exports.
The list of eligible countries for shipments meant for delivery or transhipment under the RELIEF framework has been expanded to include Egypt and Jordan. This move is aimed at ensuring greater clarity and facilitating wider participation of exporters, particularly new policyholders. Exporters obtaining a fresh ECGC whole turnover policy on or after March 16, 2026 will be eligible for support under the scheme.
RELIEF Scheme Expansion | Eligible Countries | Eligible Date | | --- | --- | | Egypt | March 19, 2026 | | Jordan | March 19, 2026 | | Existing Eligible Countries | N/A |
In a separate statement, the commerce ministry announced a series of targeted reforms to strengthen the functioning of Norms Committees (NCs) under the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). The measures are aimed at improving turnaround time, enabling early approvals, and enhancing transparency and predictability under the Advance Authorisation (AA) Scheme.
The reforms include requesting line ministries to nominate additional technical officers to the Committees to enhance sectoral expertise and reduce dependence on a limited pool of members. A special drive has been launched for expeditious disposal of pending applications, with meetings being held on a fixed schedule and cases taken up in chronological order to ensure transparency and fairness.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade 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.
