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
23rd January, 2023
DO No. 60/CH(IC)/2022
As Customs officers, we are all members of a special international community with many shared objectives and common goals. Our engagement with our international partners has always been special. It was in keeping with this commitment that the Customs Cooperation Fund (India) was established at the World Customs Organization (WCO) in 2019.
The fund aims to provide financial support especially to developing WCO Members. Based on Members’ identified needs and priorities, the Fund covers capacity building activities focused on trade facilitation and the implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, compliance and enforcement, and Customs modernization.
As we celebrate 60 years of the Customs Act and in keeping with this year’s WCO theme of Nurturing the next generation: promoting a culture of knowledge-sharing and professional pride in Customs, with financial support provided from the Customs Cooperation Fund (India), the World Customs Organization (WCO), Customs Enforcement Network (CEN) data visualization project, was inaugurated last week.
The CEN is a powerful tool for collecting data and information for intelligence purposes and serves as a central repository for recording enforcement-related information. The CEN data visualization tool seeks to present this data in an easy to understand and accessible way for all CEN users without the need for any specialized skills or sophisticated IT requirements.
We hope that the tool will help in capacity building of Customs Administrations across the world and we look forward to receiving feedback on the same.
Moving on, I am happy to share that, last week, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the CGST Navi Mumbai Commissionerate and the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) for development of a land parcel in Bhandup, Mumbai.
The parcel, known as Daroga House, was purchased from the Salt Department. It is proposed to develop office as well as residential premises on the land. This will further help ease the accommodation situation for our offices as well as for our officers. Encomiums to Chief Commissioner, Central Goods & Services Tax, Mumbai Zone and his team for a commendable job.
Last week, as part of the third tranche of the ‘Rozgar Meld , recruitment drive, 1507 appointment letters were issued to candidates for joining the CBIC family. Heartiest Congratulations to our newest members as well as to the Administration Wing of the Board for their hard work in coordinating the events at as many as 23 locations across the country with a large number of Ministries/Departments or PSUs.
Safe destruction of seized contraband is a priority area for us. The week gone by, saw Delhi Customs destroy more than 360 kgs. of seized drugs and other contraband substances including Cocaine and Heroin. This ensures that seized contraband does not find its way back. Kudos to Chief Commissioner, Delhi Customs Zone and her team for their dedication.
I would like to congratulate Sh. Shashank Priya, 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.
Before I sign off for the week, I would like to share that Ms. Arati Patil from Mumbai Customs secured the second position in Indian Elite Women’s Category in the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2023. Well done, Aarti, keep our flag flying high!
Till next week!
Yours Sincerely,
(Vivek Johri)
All Officers and Staff of Central Board of Indirect Taxes 86 Customs
