A two-day All Chief Commissioners' Conference on
Customs Matters was organised by the Central Excise and Customs, Bhopal Zone, in the capital city of Madhya Pradesh from February 15-16.
Presided over by
Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) chairman Sanjay Kumar Agarwal, the conference included discussions and analysis of Customs functioning as well as further requirements of business process simplification, automation, and infrastructure towards the country's vision of 2047, read a statement from the Ministry of Finance.
Apart from IGST duties on import, the Indian
Customs is involved in the collection of around ₹2.13 lakh crore in FY 2022-23, seizing contraband goods worth having value of over ₹6,000 crore and carrying out essential border control tasks.
While addressing the conference, the CBIC chairman highlighted the need for standardisation of processes, besides adopting the way of ‘Reform, Perform, and Transform’ in activities to achieve efficiency.
Among those present at the conference were Surjit Bhujabal, Member (Customs) Aruna Narayan Gupta, Member (IT & Taxpayer Services), and others.
The first day of the conference was centered around the theme ‘Enhancing Customs Efficiency’ and involved sessions on HR-related issues, customs clearance processes, performance improvement, and smart infrastructure requirements of Customs.
The Finance Ministry informed that the Customs is manning around 320 Ports, including 33 international airports/air cargo complexes, 63 seaports, 126 ICDs, 11 international railway stations, and 28 Foreign Post Offices (FPO).
Further, it processes over 1.30 crore of declarations in a year, which it may exponentially increase in the next few years.
“Through the use of a risk-based clearance process, more than 82%, of import consignments get expedited clearance which reduces dwell time and cost for EXIM stakeholders. The matters deliberated include digitisation of remote Land Customs Stations (LCS), the use of modern equipment, functioning of K9 units (Dog Squad), Track and Trace Units in Customs for enhancing efficiency,” the statement said.
As part of the discussions, the appropriate changes in the HR sector and upskilling to complement the same were also felt.
On the second day of the conference, on Friday, discussions were held around ‘Ease of Compliance’ in Customs functions. As part of the conference, sessions were held on technology, Customs engagement with various government departments, and process simplification for the trade among other topics.
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other technology needs in customs functioning and transformative approach in Customs automation were among the matters that were discussed on the second day.
Also, discussions were held on issues related to process standardisation, and logistics improvements that can support trade facilitation and improved grievance redressal.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
