The six-month extension of the RELIEF scheme offers eligible exporters cover for up to 95% of risk as freight, insurance and war-related costs continue to rise.
India has extended emergency risk cover for exporters by six months as shipping and insurance costs remain elevated because of turmoil in West Asia. The Department of Commerce said on Monday that the second component of the RELIEF, or Resilience & Logistics Intervention for Export Facilitation, scheme will now run until March 31, 2027.
The programme is designed to encourage exporters to buy insurance from the Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India for eligible shipments headed to specified regions. According to the department’s September 30 notification, qualifying exporters can receive cover for up to 95 per cent of the risk, along with protection against insurance premium increases above pre-disruption levels during the eligible period.
The extension comes against a backdrop of continuing disruption to maritime trade across the Gulf and nearby routes, where higher freight charges, more expensive insurance and war-related risks have added to exporters’ costs. Component II applies to standalone and whole-turnover ECGC policies taken out on or after March 16, 2026. It covers full container load, less than container load and refrigerated cargo, but excludes energy shipments.
Exporters must file claims and supporting documents through ECGC’s customer portal, and the corporation has also posted video guides on its official YouTube channel to help with registration and claims. RELIEF was launched on March 19, 2026, as part of the government’s Export Promotion Mission, with the aim of cushioning Indian exporters against unusually sharp rises in logistics costs and trade risk linked to the Gulf and wider West Asian shipping corridor.
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