Government of India
Ministry of Finance
Department of Revenue
Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs
North Block, New Delhi-110 001
Tel. : +91-11-23092849, Fax : +91-11-23092890
E-mail : [email protected]
DO No. 19/CH(IC)/2022
11th April, 2022
Organizations with effective leadership may perform well, however truly outstanding organizations are those that inculcate leadership among their members. It was in this spirit of encouraging officers at the cutting-edge level to brainstorm and come up with solutions to issues faced by Customs field formations, that an event titled Manthan’ was organized by Delhi Customs Zone last week.
The event was the culmination of an exercise spread over a quarter where officers were divided into teams to examine these issues, ideate solutions and prepare reports under the mentorship of their seniors. The reports were presented to us during the event on 10th April, 2022.
The presentations were of a uniformly high quality and professional standard and the hard work put in by the officers was evident. My sincere congratulations to all the officers and to Sh. Surjit Bhujabal, Chief Commissioner, Delhi Customs Zone for a most innovative manner of engaging with young officers and enabling them to reflect on day-to-day problems in a quest for solutions.
The event concluded with a very meticulously curated cultural evening to celebrate `Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ using a variety of modes such as Indian Classical Dance, music, folk traditions and theatre. Many officers of the department also showcased their talent in these areas.
Moving ahead, the protection of our cultural heritage has been a priority area for us. Last week, based on specific intelligence, Air Cargo Intelligence Unit, Chennai Customs, interdicted an exquisite Shivalingam with Nagabharanam idol entered for export. Investigations revealed that the idol was sourced from an individual involved in trafficking of such antiques. Archaeological experts have certified the antique as being datable to the 19th century.
Last week also saw Delhi Airport Customs seize 5.85 kg of Cocaine and 18 kg Heroin, in two separate cases. These are the latest in the string of recent cases of seizures of narcotics at the Delhi Airport. In the past six months alone, Delhi Airport Customs has seized more than 50 kg of Heroin and more than 12 kg of Cocaine at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Kudos to the officers for a job well done!
The beginning of the new financial year is perhaps an apt time to take a step back and to assess our priorities for the ensuing financial year. Principal Chief Commissioners/Chief Commissioners and Principal Directors General/ Directors General would be meeting this month to discuss the way forward and concretize it into a strategy-cum-action plan. There are many interesting suggestions/ideas that that we have received in this regard. May the best ones win! As always, would look forward to hearing from you.
Till next week!
Yours Sincerely,
(Vivek Johri)
All Officers and Staff of Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs