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. 30/CH(IC)/2022
27th June, 2022
Last week, the 139th/ 140th Sessions of the World Customs Organization (WCO) Council were held in Brussels, Belgium. The Council which is WCO’s highest decision-making body, saw the participation of the heads of 184 Customs administrations of the World Customs Organization (WCO) and underscored the adage Borders Divide, Customs Connect. It meets annually to consider and deliberate upon the reports prepared by various Committees of the WCO and the decisions taken by the Policy Commission.
While the discussion focussed on areas such as Capacity Building, Rules of Origin, Valuation, Nomenclature & Classification and Compliance & Trade Facilitation, it was indeed heartening to note the enthusiasm and acknowledgement for many of the initiatives taken by us, especially our targeting and data analytics capabilities. It was a great opportunity for me to connect with my counterparts in several member countries and to exchange ideas on how we can collaborate to address the common challenges we face.
The sessions endorsed the WCO Strategic Plan 2022-2025, with Technology and Innovation, Green Customs and Governance & Accountability being the major focus areas. My sincere thanks to the Customs Wing of the Board for their work on effectively managing this vital multi-lateral engagement.
Moving on, a 2-Day Workshop of all Cadre Controlling Authorities for an in-depth examination of issues related to HR Management of Group B & C personnel was organized last week. The workshop was put together by the Administrative Wing of the Board and the Directorate General of Human Resource Development. Representatives from Staff Selection Commission (SSC) and the Institute of Secretariat Training and Management (ISTM) also participated in the knowledge transfer exercise.
Acknowledgement for a job well done is satisfying and motivating in equal measure. Last week, the Central Vigilance Commission noted their appreciation for the significant reduction in our pending Vigilance cases. A number of initiatives such as updation of the Handbook on Vigilance Administration, issue of Standard Operating Procedures, prescribing timelines for disciplinary proceedings and initiatives such as audit of valuable goods godowns and thematic audit of GST refunds were highlighted. Kudos to Principal Director General, Directorate General of Vigilance and her team for their sustained hard work.
On the anti-evasion front, the Meerut Zonal Unit of the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) detected a case of provision of taxable services by way of granting recognition/affiliation to various colleges/institutions imparting paramedical/nursing courses as well as approval of new courses. The entities providing the services was neither registered with the GST department nor were discharging their due GST liability. In the course of the investigation, the entities accepted their GST and interest liability and deposited over Rs. 31 Cr. in cash. My Congratulations to the officers for a job well done.
Before I sign off for the week, I would like to mention about SAFAL – a series of presentations on the theme of litigation management. The participants included officers GST as well as Customs Zones and Directorates like DGGI and DGRI. Spread across six weeks, the sessions have seen participation of over 2000 officers. Member (Legal) and his team deserve all the plaudits for an excellent initiative.
Till next week!
Yours Sincerely,
(Vivek Johri)
All Officers and Staff of Central Board of Indirect Taxes& Customs
