NEW DELHI: Big relief for Indian exporters has arrived! The Union Cabinet on Wednesday cleared a whopping Rs 25,060 crore Export Promotion Mission (EPM) stretching across six years. This bold move comes to support crucial sectors like textiles, leather, gems and jewelry, engineering goods, and marine products that are reeling under tough US tariffs. But that's not all. The Cabinet also approved an additional Rs 20,000 crore collateral-free credit for exporters, including MSMEs, to ease their financial crunch amid global trade uncertainties. What is this Export Promotion Mission? Announced in the Budget, the mission aims to boost exporters by giving them a smoother ride in getting credit and innovative financial tools. It also plans to tackle the high cost of logistics that has long bothered exporters. The scheme wants to help businesses explore new markets and solve branding and warehousing headaches on foreign soil. I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw called this initiative "very comprehensive." The mission will work through two main schemes: Niryat Protsahan with Rs 10,401 crore and Niryat Disha with Rs 14,659 crore. Under Niryat Protsahan, the focus is on affordable trade finance for MSMEs using smart tools such as interest subvention (lowering the interest burden), export factoring, collateral guarantees, credit cards for e-commerce sellers, and grants to explore fresh markets. Vaishnaw said, "Different sectors will have different requirements, different geographies will have different requirements... there are special requirements for new and higher risk markets so there might be a higher subvention for that, let the details come." Niryat Disha is the magical wizard behind the scenes, offering non-financial help like improving India's international branding, packaging, showcasing in trade fairs, export warehousing, and logistics. It even helps with inland transport refunds and offers trade intelligence and skill-building. To sweeten the deal, the government also raised royalty rates on four important minerals: graphite, caesium, rubidium, and zirconium, hoping to attract more bidders for the upcoming auctions of mining blocks—nine blocks up for grabs, five of them for graphite only. The Commerce Department proudly stated, "EPM consolidates key export support schemes such as the Interest Equalisation Scheme (IES) and Market Access Initiative (MAI), aligning them with contemporary trade needs." This bold step aims to protect export orders, save jobs, and help Indian goods reach new corners of the globe. With Rs 25,060 crore and Rs 20,000 crore credit firepower, Indian exporters now have a powerful shield and new wings to soar high above global trade challenges!