Government announces ₹497 crore RELIEF scheme for exporters impacted by West Asian crisis
The Hindu
Government launches ₹497 crore RELIEF scheme providing credit insurance to exporters affected by the West Asia crisis, focusing on MSMEs.
The government on Thursday (March 19, 2026) launched the ₹497 crore Resilience & Logistics Intervention for Export Facilitation (RELIEF) scheme to provide credit insurance cover for exporters whose goods are stranded due to the West Asia crisis, or who are planning to export to the Gulf over the next few months. The insurance premia under this scheme would be at pre-conflict rates and the focus would be MSME beneficiaries.
While announcing the scheme, the officials of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry acknowledged the hardship being faced by Indian exporters due to the constraints created by the war in West Asia, and said that the RELIEF scheme was aimed at alleviating this and providing them with surety about their exports.
“Our exporters who have been exporting to the Middle East are facing certain challenges,” Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said at a press briefing. “There have been instances where exports that were meant for some of the countries in the region have not been able to reach their destination. There is a sense of worry among the exporters, especially those who have got exposure to the Middle East countries. Their future exports are also getting impacted.”
In a separate inter-ministerial briefing, Special Secretary at the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Rajesh Kumar Sinha said that there are two container ships currently in the Eastern part of the Strait of Hormuz, headed from India to Oman and the UAE.
“Both are container vessels [operating in the Eastern part], the first is CMA CGM Vitoria which is at the Sohar port in Oman which has 24 Indian seafarers on board,” Mr. Sinha said. “The second is SSL Godavari, which is on its way to Khor Fakkan Port in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and has 23 Indian seafarers on board.”
In order to help exporters affected by stuck shipments, the government announced the RELIEF scheme, which would be a part of the Export Promotion Mission that was announced in Budget 2025 and that was implemented over the course of 2025-26.
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