India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has formed a six-member panel to assess claims and spending under RELIEF, a program intended to help exporters absorb Gulf and West Asia shipping disruption costs.
The panel took effect Friday, Oct. 30, under a DGFT trade notice. Two Additional Directors General of Foreign Trade from the Logistics and Export Promotion Mission (EPM) divisions will co-chair. The other members are a director from the Department of Commerce’s Trade Finance Division, a Functional Director from the Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India (ECGC), a representative from the Department of Financial Services and the Joint DGFT in the EPM Section, who will convene the panel.
The subcommittee will review implementation across RELIEF’s three components, including claims processed and fund balances reported by ECGC. It will examine factors affecting exporters’ participation and their use of approved funding, then send recommendations to the EPM Steering Committee, which may consider changes to the program.
DGFT set RELIEF’s total expenditure ceiling at ₹497 crore, subject to budget availability and verification. The expense falls within the EPM budget, and ECGC implements claims and disbursements. RELIEF provides added risk protection to exporters who already have insurance and encourages ECGC coverage for upcoming shipments. Eligible uninsured micro, small and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) exporters may seek reimbursement for qualifying freight and insurance surcharges, covering up to 50% of costs and capped at ₹50 lakh per exporter.
On Monday, Oct. 26, the Department of Commerce extended the timeline for Component II through March 31, 2027. That component provides 95% risk coverage for eligible shipments. DGFT’s March 19 notification cited geopolitical tensions and security conditions around the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Gulf corridor. In a March 2026 release, the department also pointed to vessels taking alternate routes, longer voyages, congestion at transfer hubs and additional charges tied to conflict.
The Oct. 30 notice gives no current claim totals or remaining fund balance. The panel’s next task is to review figures reported by ECGC; the notice sets no deadline for recommendations.
