New Delhi, Jan. 2 -- The government has expanded India Post's global footprint by adding 50 new countries across Africa, Europe, Central Asia and West Asia to boost e-commerce exports, as it looks to diversify overseas markets for domestic goods hit by steep US tariffs, according to two people aware of the matter.

The expansion by the world's largest postal network of its International Tracked Packet Service (ITPS) to non-traditional markets comes in the backdrop of the Indian government planning to soften its stance on e-commerce rules for exports, as it considers allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) in inventory-based e-commerce models, but only for export purposes. India has about 165,000 post offices, including over 149,000 in ru...