Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said there had been a paradigm shift in the working of Indian Customs because ease of doing business and trade facilitation were the two key focus areas of the department.
“Adopting a people-centric approach would further augment the transformative process of Customs functioning,” she said in a statement released by the finance ministry on the occasion of International Customs Day.
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) observed International Customs Day on Wednesday. The World Customs Organisation’s (WCO) theme this year is “Customs bolstering Recovery, Renewal and Resilience for a sustainable supply chain”.
The programme, held at North Block and organised through a virtual mode, was attended by CBIC chairman M Ajit Kumar, CBIC members, senior officers and field formations, it said.
Minister of state for finance Anurag Singh Thakur said as the country is emerging from the pandemic, the role of Customs become even more important in safeguarding India’s borders.
Finance secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey highlighted the prominent role Customs plays across the International Supply Chain. “Indian Customs has always met economic and social challenges with aplomb and served our nation with dedication,” the statement cited him as saying. The CBIC chairman praised the efforts of Customs officers in this pandemic year to ensure hassle-free movement of goods, especially Covid relief materials. “During lockdown, Customs being an essential service took up the challenge to ensure uninterrupted supplies and sustained revival of the economy,” Kumar said in the statement.
{{/usCountry}}Finance secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey highlighted the prominent role Customs plays across the International Supply Chain. “Indian Customs has always met economic and social challenges with aplomb and served our nation with dedication,” the statement cited him as saying. The CBIC chairman praised the efforts of Customs officers in this pandemic year to ensure hassle-free movement of goods, especially Covid relief materials. “During lockdown, Customs being an essential service took up the challenge to ensure uninterrupted supplies and sustained revival of the economy,” Kumar said in the statement.
{{/usCountry}}CBIC took several steps last year under the umbrella of next generation Turant Customs programme, which focusses on Faceless, Contactless and Paperless Customs clearance processes, member (customs) Sandeep Bhatnagar said.
The WCO certificate of merit was awarded to eight officers present in the programme at North Block and other officers were presented the certificate by their head of department at their respective locations, virtually observed by all the attendees.