RELIEF export cover extended to 31 March 2027; claims go via ECGC portal

The Commerce Department said on 26 October that it has extended Component II of the RELIEF scheme by six months, to 31 March 2027^1, 3. The component offers 95% risk cover on ECGC policies for shipments to regions disrupted by the conflict in the Gulf and wider West Asia^1, 2.

The department's notification is dated 30 September, when the scheme's earlier extension was due to end, but its contents were announced publicly on 26 October^1, 2. RELIEF, short for Resilience and Logistics Intervention for Export Facilitation, was launched on 19 March 2026 and had already been extended once, to 30 September^1, 2. It is part of the Export Promotion Mission³, which the government approved with an outlay of Rs 25,060 crore for six financial years⁴.

What the scheme gives

• 95% risk cover. The component is meant to encourage exporters to buy ECGC cover for forthcoming shipments to specified regions, and the policy carries 95% risk cover^1, 2.
• Protection from premium rises. Exporters are protected against insurance premia increasing beyond pre-disruption levels during the eligible period, the department said^3, 2.
• Policy types and dates. The benefit applies to standalone and whole-turnover ECGC policies obtained on or after 16 March 2026^1, 2.
• Cargo covered. Full container load (FCL), less than container load (LCL) and refrigerated containers qualify. Energy shipments are excluded^1, 3, 2.

The eligibility test set out in the reports turns on the type and date of the ECGC policy, not on the size of the exporter^1, 2.

ECGC is the state-owned export credit insurer under the Commerce Ministry, and its policies protect exporters against payment risks, including political risks such as war⁵. Component II is built on that ECGC cover, and the 95% figure refers to the risk covered by the policy^1, 2. The reports describe no separate payout for war-risk surcharges billed by shipping lines^1, 3, 2.

Which destinations count

The department calls the covered destinations "specified regions"^1, 2. The reports published on 26 October named no individual countries. They tied the scheme to disruption across the Gulf and the wider West Asian maritime corridor^1, 3. None of them referred to Europe or United States routes. An exporter shipping outside the Gulf and West Asia should confirm with ECGC that the destination is on the list before counting on the cover.

How to claim

Claims and supporting documents must be filed through ECGC's customer portal, which BusinessLine gave as www.ecgcltd.in^1, 2. The department said guidance on generating user IDs and passwords, registering as an exporter and submitting claims is available in video tutorials on ECGC's official YouTube channel^1, 2.

Documentation is the point exporters are already querying. BusinessLine quoted a Mumbai-based exporter: "We need more clarity on how to obtain shipping line bills that need to be submitted to avail of the scheme's benefits"¹.

The same reports did not give a per-exporter or per-shipment ceiling, or a last date for filing a claim^1, 3, 2. Exporters should check both on the portal before they build the benefit into a price.

After 31 March 2027

The cover has a fixed end date. A shipment or policy falling after 31 March 2027 sits outside the scheme unless the department extends it again, and the reports named no successor^1, 2. That leaves exporters signing contracts for the next financial year without a stated backstop for war-risk premia after that date.

The reports carried no figure for how many exporters have used RELIEF, or for how much cover ECGC has issued under it since 19 March^1, 3, 2.