Department of Commerce Extends RELIEF Initiative
Ministry of Commerce & Industry · Economy · Posted 26 OCT 2026 1:50PM
What happened
The Department of Commerce has extended Component II of the RELIEF (Resilience & Logistics Intervention for Export Facilitation) initiative under the Export Promotion Mission until March 31, 2027. The extension provides 95% risk coverage and premium protection for exporters facing geopolitical disruptions in West Asia.
Why it matters for UPSC
This scheme extension is important for UPSC General Studies Paper III (Economy - Foreign Trade and Export Promotion), illustrating government interventions to protect international trade and export resilience amid geopolitical and maritime disruptions.
Key objectives
- Extends Component II of the RELIEF initiative until March 31, 2027, via Notification No. 37/2026-27.
- Provides 95 per cent risk coverage to encourage exporters to obtain ECGC cover for shipments to specified regions.
- Protects eligible exporters' payable premiums against increases beyond pre-disruption levels.
- Covers FCL, LCL, and reefer containers, while explicitly excluding energy shipments.