In order to commemorate the enactment of the Customs Act of 1962, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), Government of India, held a celebration today.
Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, served as the event’s Chief Guest, and Shri Pankaj Chaudhary, Union Minister of State for Finance, served as the event’s Guest of Honor. Senior officials from the Ministry of Finance as well as the Chairman of CBIC and members of the Board of Indirect and Direct Taxes and Customs were present.
Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, the Union Finance Minister, commented on the occasion that shashtipurti is a significant occasion in Indian tradition that is marked with solemn ceremonies at home, reflecting on the accomplishments of the previous 60 years and planning for the journey of the following 60 years. When all shipments, whether from large or small businesses or people, were made possible during the difficult days of COVID-19, the robustness of the Customs Act was on display.
According to the finance minister, customs officers must be prepared for emerging technological problems and should take the lead in demonstrating to the rest of the globe how they have handled these challenges.
Smt. Sitharaman urged Customs officers to write about the difficulties they have faced and how they overcame them. She also asked the officers to be vigilant against drug smuggling, which harms future generations, and gold smuggling, which harms the economy.
MoSFinance According to ShriPankaj Chaudhary, the history of customs may be seen in Kautilya’s Arthashastra, which mentions the collection of customs duties. Shri Chaudhary emphasised the function of Turant Customs, a faceless, paperless, and contactless organisation, in facilitating trade. He anticipated that by utilising the quick development of technology, the Customs officials would be able to stop the smuggling and leaking of revenue.
Sanjay Malhotra, the secretary of revenue, admitted that commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Customs Act is an occasion to reflect as much as to celebrate. He hoped that customs officers would continue to carry out their responsibilities to the best of their abilities.
Indian Customs has reengineered and automated a number of business procedures, according to Chairman CBIC ShriVivekJohri. The Indian Customs has successfully managed all three tiers—revenue collection, border security, and trade facilitation—with ease. The computerised clearance procedure has made it possible to complete clearance quickly and with good enforcement. He expressed confidence that the Customs Act will equip officers to handle upcoming difficulties like trade-based money laundering, electronic commerce, 3D printing, and cryptocurrency.
In his welcome speech earlier, Member of Customs Shri Rajiv Talwar noted how the Customs Act has permitted new inventions like the development of dry ports (ICDs) to provide the necessary goods for manufacturing activity in the hinterland. He added that the Customs Act was both adaptable and resilient.
The Mascot for India Customs was unveiled on this occasion. Officer Hans’ mascot, the gorgeous blue Swan, represents purity and customs knowledge. The power of the bird to separate good from bad and to spot and stop illegal acts like smuggling, drug trafficking, duty evasion, etc. is symbolised by its capacity to extract milk from a mixture of milk and water.
Additionally, a Customs Medallion was made public. The medallion depicts the dedication of Customs to nation building and facilitation of all EXIM trade. All forms of transportation, whether sea, air, or land, are portrayed along with the tricolour.
On the occasion, participants of the trade and industry gave presentations in which they discussed their interactions with Customs in both import and export contexts.
The President and Chairman of M/s Chemical Systems Technologies, Mr. Sunil Singhal, spoke about the measures implemented by Customs, including e-sanchit, speedier clearance through risk-based interventions, and quicker disbursal of refunds, including drawback.
Both Mr. Kannan K, Deputy General Manager of Customs & FTP of M/s Bosch, and Mr. Shubhankar Bhattacharya, Vice President of Tax, spoke about the advantages of the AEO program’s reduced time and cost to their company operations. Because of this widely acknowledged accreditation, they are seen as a trustworthy and secure international commercial partner, which has benefits.
Mr. Shankar Shinde and Mr. Dushyant Mulani from the Federation of Freight Forwarders’ Associations in India detailed the advantages of the historic transformation made possible by the application of Faceless assessment. By establishing anonymity and consistency in sectoral assessment, it has significantly decreased dwell time for import approval.
A brief film that highlighted the work done by the Customs in preserving the nation’s economic integrity and showed the scope of Indian Customs was also shown at the event.
The CBIC-led Compendium on Ease of Doing Business Reforms was also made public. The information on numerous trade facilitation projects will be gathered in one place as part of this programme. The Compendium is a practical reference that records the modifications that have been made to Customs rules and practises during the past few years.
To demonstrate the vigour with which the Customs field formations had observed the event over the course of the week beginning on December 5 and continuing today, a collage of diverse activities was also shown.
The vote of appreciation was given by Ms. Aruna N Gupta, Chief Commissioner, Delhi Customs Zone. She thanked everyone for their cooperation with taxpayers and their efforts in making today’s event a success.