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
Vivek Johri, Chairman
DO No. 06/CH(IC)/2023 Dated: 17th May, 2023
Dear Colleague,
In the the wake of my superannuation a few months later I have been thinking about the values that I found most powerful in supporting my journey as a professional. The first one that came to my mind was “integrity” (Tr4t3T) – a multi-faceted omnibus governing so many aspects of our conduct. In its most restricted meaning it is equated with pecuniary integrity or non-acceptance of illegal gratification in performing our official duties.
While there is no question that this interpretation is truly its core, integrity actually stands for many more things. As Civil Servants, our primary allegiance is to the Constitution and rule of law which implies that we must apply the laws that we administer in a fair, just and equitable manner.
It is also important that we do not allow our personal biases against individuals or organizations to color our perception when applying the law and we deal with issues on their own “merit”.
Finally, we should demonstrate intellectual honesty in dealing with issues and should not bend the law to suit pre-conceived notions or adopt the most extreme or harsh interpretation. It is only when we subscribe to all these dimensions and practice them that we can claim to possess “integrity” and to perform our duties with “kLiceIRS37. This takes constant mindfulness and reinforcement – especially when we occupy leadership positions when our junior colleagues look up to us for mentorship and guidance.
Moving on, the week gone by saw the launch of the Automated Return Scrutiny Module for GST returns in ACES-GST application. This non-intrusive means of compliance verification will enable the officers to carry out scrutiny of GST returns of Centre Administered Taxpayers selected on the basis of data analytics and risks identified by the System. I would urge you to familiarize yourself with the process so as to be able to detect leakages of revenue and take necessary corrective steps.
The Document Identification Number (DIN) system was introduced with a view to ensure greater accountability and transparency in communication sent by the Department. The system provides the taxpayer a digital facility to verify Departmental communications.
Last week, a new feature was added to the system whereby recipients of any DIN bearing communication will get access to additional information to ascertain the genuineness of the communication. The recipients will now be able to see the name of the recipient, the address of the+ recipient and other identifiers, all in a partially masked manner.
On the anti-smuggling side, last week was rather eventful. Sleuths from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) interdicted 1349 Kgs of a narcotic substance – Khat Leaves, valued at over Rs. 33 Crore concealed in a container.
In another case, based on specific intelligence and profiling, officers from DRI detected a case of smuggling of heroin concealed in a consignment of brooms at the Integrated Check Post, Attari, Amritsar. More than 5 kg of Heroin valued at more than Rs 38 Crores was recovered.
Further, officers from DRI also interdicted about 1.2 Cr foreign origin Cigarettes sticks valued at over Rs. 24 Crore attempted to be smuggled from a consignment destined to a Free Trade Warehousing Zone (FTWZ) but was diverted to a warehouse for substitution.
On the anti-evasion side, officers of the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) detected a case of failure to discharge GST liability on certain supplies and treating the same as exempt supplies by an Industrial Development Corporation. The detection has since resulted in a recovery in excess of Rs. 678 Crores. Kudos to the officers for their excellent work.
As I sign off for the week, a word of caution. As the summer starts to sizzle and the air hums with warmth, I urge you to stay cool, take care for yourself and not let the heat wilt your spirit.
Till next week!
Yours Sincerely,
(Vivek Johri)
All Officers and Staff of Central Board of Indirect Taxes 86 Customs
