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. 03/CH(IC)/2023 Dated: 25th April, 2023
I am writing to you after a gap of a week since I was indisposed. This newsletter therefore covers events of the week before last.
Many years ago, Manuel De Landa, a Mexican-American artist and philosopher wrote a book titled,’ War in the Age of Intelligent Machines’. Contrary to what the title seemed to convey, the book presented a brilliant interpretative twist of human history. Instead of tales of glory on the battlefield, the book brought together disparate concepts such as evolutionary biology and post-structuralist philosophy with inventions such as the microscope, the internet and space exploration and their interplay with each other.
As American media theorist, Steve Johnson notes, history is a matter of perspective. Imagine, sometime in the future artificial intelligence were to write the history of the world. Would it place the Jacquard Loom and its impact on punched cards and computing to be more important that the river valley civilizations or the European conquest of the Americas?
An important factor that enriches our perspective as human beings as well as officers is sharing our experiences with each other and learning from them. Perspectives depend on where you are looking from. Opportunities for learning from each other’s experience drive home the lesson that there are different ways of looking at the same issue – much like the proverbial blind men who are asked to touch an elephant and describe it.
Such an opportunity presented itself to our zonal heads of GST who were invited to attend a National Coordination Meeting on GST this week. I was very heartened to see that some of them volunteered to make presentations to share their best practices with their colleagues and officers of the State GST departments. More on the happenings next week.
The week before last, I had an opportunity of visiting the Customs Enclave Project in Wadala, Mumbai. The ambitious project comprises an office complex and 769 residential quarters in a prime part of the city and will go a long way in easing the accommodation crunch in Mumbai.
I was happy to note that the preparatory work for commencement of the construction is well underway. I would urge officers of Mumbai Customs Zone – Ito continue working closely with the respective stakeholders so as to ensure that the project in completed in a timely manner.
The week also saw Mumbai Customs Zone I deploy Body-Worn Cameras intended to be used by Customs officers boarding vessels arriving at Mumbai Port for Customs checks. The cameras which have audio-video recording capabilities will go a long way in ensuring transparency and enhance the ease of doing business.
Before I sign off, I would like to urge all of you to take care of your health and that of your near and dear ones in view of the increasing cases of Covid-19. Stay safe and healthy!
Yours Sincerely,
(Vivek Johri)
All Officers and Staff of Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs
