Weekly newsletter from Chairman, CBIC dated 02/05/2023
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 : vivekjohri.irs@gov.in
DO No. 04/CH(IC)/2023 | Dated: 02nd May, 2023
Vivek Johri, Chairman
The 16th Civil Services Day was observed on the 21st of April, 2023. Many years ago, speaking at the inauguration of the newly created Civil Services of Independent India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel remarked that the public has a right to expect the best out of every civil servant in India, in whatever position of responsibility they may be.
He added that “…it is not for you to approach your task purely from a mercenary angle or entirely from self-interest, however enlightened it may be. Your foremost consideration should be how best to contribute to the well-being of India as a whole.”
If this message is to be realized, we need to be ever willing to sacrifice our personal goals and aspirations if the organizational interest so demands. This commitment that we pledged to society when entering service is often overlooked.
Last week, I had shared about the National Co-ordination Meeting of Centre and State Tax officials along with a commitment to share more details. The daylong meeting featured presentations from both State and Central Tax Administrations and provided an excellent opportunity for the sharing of best practices.
The Goods & Services Tax Network made a presentation on technical arrangements being put in place for tackling the menace of fake Input Tax Credit (ITC); Madhya Pradesh State Commercial Tax Department presented on enhancing and cleaning up the tax base; Thiruvananthapuram CGST Commissionerate shared best practices on taxpayer facilitation measures and the Directorate General of GST Intelligence made an excellent presentation on our enforcement measures, amongst others.
Moving forward, the Directorate of Systems and Data Management has come up with a new suite of functionalities in ADVAIT (Advanced Analytics in Indirect Taxation). The new functionalities are intended to enable a deeper and richer analysis of revenue and of trends in both import and export.
The functionalities make use of advanced data science models to detect outliers and anomalies both on the Customs as well on the GST side. These functionalities will go a long way towards better understanding of our revenue profile and help plug any potential leakages.
New functionalities in ADVAIT to to detect outliers & anomalies in GST & Customs
On the anti-smuggling side, the week gone by saw officers of Delhi Airport Customs and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) detect a novel modus operandi where an arriving international passenger was interdicted. Examination of the baggage by the Delhi Airport K9 team led to the recovery of cocaine found dissolved in liquor bottles. In another case at the Delhi Airport, the K9 squad helped detect about 3 kg of Heroin, valued at Rs 21 Crore, from an arriving passenger.
Further, officers of Mumbai Airport Customs, on the basis of specific intelligence, seized 2.4 Kg Heroin, valued at Rs 16.8 Crore from an arriving passenger. The drugs were concealed in a false cavity in the baggage. Many Congratulations to the officers for their excellent work!
Last week, we bid adieu to Ms. Mallika Arya, Principal Chief Commissioner, from the 1988 Batch; Sh. Gurdeep Singh, Chief Commissioner from the 1989 Batch and Sh. Bijoy Kumar Kar, Chief Commissioner, from the 1989 batch on their superannuation. We wish them the best in their future endeavors.
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Sh. Vivek Ranjan, an officer from the 1988 Batch on joining the Board as Member. On behalf of the entire CBIC family, I welcome him and convey my best wishes for a successful tenure.
Let me conclude by talking about an interesting art form – Dastaangoi – a form of storytelling, which is akin to a magical carpet ride through the rich tapestry of folk traditions. As skilled storytellers, the dastaango, spin tales of adventure, romance and wisdom, listeners are transported to distant lands and times, lost in a world of imagination and wonder. It’s a journey that’s equal parts enchanting and enlightening, with each story revealing a new facet of the human experience and leaving audiences spellbound.
As part of the “Rajbhasha Sammelan”, Delhi CGST Zone organized a “Daastangoi” recital, narrating the story of valour of Rani Laxmi Bai, filling everyone’s heart with immense pride and gratitude. Sincere Congratulations to the officers for curating an excellent event.
Till next week!
Yours Sincerely,
(Vivek Johri)
All Officers and Staff of Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs
