Hon’ble Finance Minister, in her International Customs Day address, highlighted Indian Customs’ role in economic security, trade facilitation, and national interest. A short film, Right Turn, released by the Visakhapatnam Zone, depicted Customs’ evolving role under Mission Karmayogi. Officers from Vijayawada Customs (Preventive) pledged organ donation, reflecting the department’s humanitarian spirit. At the Prayagraj event, CBIC’s GST and Customs pavilion showcased initiatives on compliance and trade facilitation. Bengaluru hosted the 54th Central Revenue All India Sports Meet, with 1,156 athletes participating, and the South Zone team winning the Champions Trophy. Enforcement actions included Mundra Customs intercepting 80 lakh counterfeit cigarettes worth Rs. 13.6 crore and the Jaipur Zonal Unit of DGGI uncovering a Rs. 700 crore GST evasion scheme involving fraudulent clearance of iron and steel goods. Seven individuals were arrested in connection with the evasion.
Government of India
Ministry of Finance
Department of Revenue
Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs
DO No. 08/News Letter/CH(IC)/2025 Dated: 24th February, 2025 Dear Colleague,
For those who could not view the celebration of International Customs Day on the live telecast online, I urge you to watch the Hon’ble FM’s speech, as it sets the tone for Indian Customs in the times to come. In her address, the Hon’ble Finance Minister recognised the role of Indian customs as the nation’s first line of defence in protecting economic security. Her words of appreciation for the relentless efforts of officers—whether in safeguarding national interests, enabling trade facilitation, or setting new benchmarks for ease of doing business—exemplify the high standards we have set. This recognition is a call to sustain and surpass our achievements.
The short film “Right Turn”, created by Visakhapatnam Zone and released on International Customs Day 2025, beautifully captures the pivotal role of Customs in nation-building. Through a compelling narrative, it highlights the need for continuous transformation in line with Mission Karmayogi. The short film is available on the YouTube handle of Visakhapatnam Customs. Adding to the spirit of service, many officers of Vijayawada Customs (Preventive) embraced the humanitarian ethos of Customs by pledging organ donation on this occasion.
Last week, I visited Prayagraj and took the opportunity to engage with officers managing the GST and Customs pavilion. The pavilion showcased key initiatives through creatives, brochures and tutorial videos highlighting work done by CBIC in trade facilitation, ease of compliance, and taxpayer services. The efforts of DGTS and CGST Allahabad in creating awareness about GST and Customs among visitors are laudable.
United in Service, Bonded by Sports! Under the aegis of the Central Revenue Sports and Cultural Board, the Bengaluru CGST Zone successfully organised the 54th Central Revenue All India Sports Meet at Bengaluru. The event saw the enthusiastic participation of 1156 athletes from CBIC and CBDT competing in 18 sporting disciplines. I would like to congratulate the South Zone (CBIC and CBDT) for winning the overall Champions Trophy. The efforts of all the organisers of the four Zonal and Sub-Zonal Sports Meets also deserve special mention.
Some fine detections were noticed last week. The officers of the Special Intelligence and Investigation Branch (SIIB), Customs House, Mundra, successfully intercepted a consignment suspected of violating intellectual property rights. Acting on intelligence, a long-standing uncleared container from Cambodia was examined at Mundra port, revealing 80,00,000 sticks of “Gold Flake Honey Dew” cigarettes, suspected to be counterfeit. The offending goods, valued at Rs. 13.6 crore, were, prima facie, found in contravention of the Intellectual Property Rights (Imported Goods) Enforcement Rules, 2007. Appreciation to the team!
In a major crackdown on tax evasion, the Jaipur Zonal Unit of DGGI unearthed a large-scale racket involving the clandestine supply of iron and steel goods, including scrap, ingots, billets, and TMT bars. Investigations revealed that some suppliers and manufacturers were fraudulently clearing goods using invoices of non-existent firms, allowing them to evade detection during transit. Searches conducted across 15 locations in Rajasthan led to the seizure of incriminating evidence, exposing the unaccounted supply of approximately 13 lakh tonnes of iron goods valued at around Rs. 4,000 crore, with an estimated GST evasion of Rs. 700 crore. So far, seven individuals have been arrested in connection with the case. Excellent detection!
Until next week!
Yours sincerely,
(Sanjay Kumar Agarwal)
All Officers and Staff of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes 86 Customs.
