HomeCirculars › RBI/2010-11/186

Exim Bank's USD 67.4 Million Line of Credit to Sri Lanka for Railway Upgrade

Current · Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2010-11/186 · issued 30 Aug 2010 · ~2 min read
Quick answerRBI notifies AD Category-I banks about Exim Bank's USD 67.4 million line of credit to Sri Lanka for upgrading the Colombo-Matara railway corridor. At least 85% of contract value must be sourced from India. Banks must facilitate LCs and remittances per FEMA rules.
The rule, in the simplest words
How it plays out — a real example

A forex & trade-finance officer in Indore, Priya, gets a call from an exporter wanting to supply railway signals for the Sri Lanka project. She reminds him that 85% of the signal parts must come from Indian factories, and she can only process his letter of credit after checking that rule. She also tells him no agency commission can come from the loan, so he must use his own funds if he needs to pay a middleman.

What changed

Exim Bank signed a credit agreement on March 10, 2010, with Sri Lanka's government for a USD 67.4 million line of credit to finance the Southern Railway corridor upgrade. The credit became effective from August 16, 2010. Last date for opening LCs and disbursement is 48 months from project completion for project exports, or 72 months (March 9, 2016) from the agreement date for supply contracts.

What it means for you

Indian exporters can now bid for contracts under this LOC, with a mandatory 85% local sourcing requirement boosting domestic industry. AD banks must ensure LCs and remittances comply with FEMA guidelines, including no agency commission from the LOC proceeds. This strengthens India's export credit footprint in Sri Lanka's infrastructure sector.

What you must do

Who it affects

AD Category-I banks, Indian exporters of goods and services, Exim Bank, Sri Lankan government and railway project contractors

❓ Common questions

Regulatory timeline

Built from our lineage records — each fact carries its provenance; missing history simply is not shown (never guessed).

What is the minimum Indian content requirement under this LOC?

At least 85% of the contract price must be supplied from India. The remaining 15% can be procured from outside India, excluding consultancy services.

Can exporters pay agency commission from the LOC proceeds?

No, agency commission is not payable under this LOC. Exporters may use their own resources or EEFC balances for commission, and AD banks can allow such remittance only after full contract value is realized.

What is the deadline for opening Letters of Credit under this facility?

For project exports, LCs must be opened within 48 months from the scheduled completion date of the contract. For supply contracts, the deadline is 72 months from the agreement execution date, i.e., March 9, 2016.

📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2010-11/186 A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No.11 August 30, 2010 To All Category - I Authorised Dealer Banks Madam / Sir, Exim Bank's Line of Credit of USD 67.40 million to the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) has concluded an Agreement dated March 10, 2010 with the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka making available to the latter, a Line of Credit (LOC) of USD 67.40 million (USD sixty seven million four hundred thousand) for financing eligible goods and services including consultancy services from India for the purpose of financing upgradation of the Southern Railway corridor from Colombo to Matara in Sri Lanka. The goods and services including consultancy services from India for exports under this Agreement are those which are eligible for export under the Foreign Trade Policy of the Government of India and whose purchase may be agreed to be financed by the Exim Bank under this Agreement. Out of the total credit by Exim Bank under this Agreement, the goods and services of the value of at least 85 per cent of the contract price shall be supplied by the seller from India, and the remaining 15 per cent goods and services (other than consultancy services) may be procured by the seller for the purpose of Eligible Contract from outside India. 2. The Credit Agreement under the LOC is effective from August 16, 2010 and the date of execution of Agreement is March 10, 2010. Under the LOC, the last date for opening of Letters of Credit and Disbursement will be 48 months from the scheduled completion date(s) of contract(s) in the case of project exports and 72 months (March 09, 2016) from the execution date of the Credit Agreement in the case of supply contracts. 3. Shipments under the LOC will have to be declared on GR / SDF Forms as per instructions issued by the Reserve Bank from time to time. 4.  No agency commission is payable under the above LOC. However, if required, the exporter may use his own resources or utilize balances in his Exchange Earners’ Foreign Currency Account for payment of commission in free foreign exchange. Authorised Dealer Category- l (AD Category-l) banks may allow such remittance after realization of full payment of contract value subject to compliance with the prevailing instructions for payment of agency commission. 5. AD Category-I banks may bring the contents of this circular to the notice of their exporter constituents and advise them to obtain full details of the Line of Credit from the Exim Bank’s office at Centre One, Floor 21, World Trade Centre Complex, Cuffe Parade, Mumbai 400 005  or log on to www.eximbankindia.in . 6. The Directions contained in this circular have been issued under sections 10(4) and 11(1) of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999 (42 of 1999) and are without prejudice to permissions / approvals, if any, required under any other law. Yours faithfully, ( G. Jaganmohan Rao) Chief General Manager
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2010-11/186 · issued 30 Aug 2010. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
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Worked example & action-note template

Example: if you are a Compliance officer at a bank this circular applies to (AD Category-I banks, Indian exporters of goods and services, Exim Bank, Sri Lankan government and railway project contractors), your first concrete step on “Exim Bank's USD 67.4 Million Line of Credit to Sri Lanka for Railway Upgrade” is: “Inform exporter clients about the LOC and direct them to Exim Bank for full details.” (RBI issued this 30 Aug 2010).

  1. Circular: RBI/2010-11/186 -- Exim Bank's USD 67.4 Million Line of Credit to Sri Lanka for Railway Upgrade
  2. Issued: 30 Aug 2010
  3. Action required: Inform exporter clients about the LOC and direct them to Exim Bank for full details.
  4. Action required: Ensure all shipments under this LOC are declared on GR/SDF forms as per RBI instructions.
  5. Action required: Allow remittance of agency commission only from exporter's own resources or EEFC account after full contract value realization.
  6. Action required: Verify that at least 85% of contract value goods/services are sourced from India before processing LCs.
  7. Owner: ____________ Target date: ____________
  8. Board/committee approval needed? Y / N
  9. Evidence filed in compliance register on: ____________
Built only from this circular’s own published fields — not legal advice; always confirm against the official RBI source.

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Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=5974&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by our expert reviewer, CA Amit Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; is our own plain-English paraphrase, not RBI’s original wording.
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