Maximum alertness required to deal with drug smuggling: Nirmala Sitharaman

New Delhi [India], December 13 (ANI): Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman urged customs officers for greater alertness while dealing with drug smugglers. If gold smuggling is going to hurt the economy, drugs hurt generations, she said while addressing the Celebration function of the 60 years of Customs Act, 1962 organised by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).
Sitharaman said that greater alertness is needed in the matter of drug smuggling. If gold smuggling is going to hurt the economy, drugs hurt generations.
"If there is undue delay happening in prosecution, CBIC should take into notice, the prosecution in drugs smuggling may be brought to a logical conclusion at the earliest," she said.
The Finance Minister said that Customs officers have to be ready for newer technological challenges and should act as leaders to show the world how they have been able to overcome modern and newer challenges.
Sitharaman also exhorted Customs officers to write about Customs - challenges and how they have handled the same.
MoS Finance Pankaj Chaudhary traced the history of Customs to Kautilya's Arthshastra, which mentioned charging Customs duty.
Chaudhary highlighted the role played by Turant Customs which is faceless, paperless and contactless, in the facilitation of trade. He hoped that the Customs officers would be in a position to check the smuggling and leakage of revenue harnessing the rapid advancement in technology.
CBIC Chairman Vivek Johri said that new challenges before the officers are coming up. We had unearthed a smuggling case where payment for smuggled goods was done in crypto. We've created a special account to pocket the seized crypto, for the time being, we're working out the details.
He said that the law is robust enough to deal with it. It's just that you have to have the technological solution to deal with such types of cases. He expressed faith that the Customs Act will enable officers to deal with future challenges of Trade-based money laundering, e-commerce, 3D printing, and Cryptocurrency.
The occasion saw the release of Mascot for India Customs. This mascot (Officer Hans) is the majestic blue Swan which symbolises purity and knowledge of Customs. The ability of the bird to extract milk from a mixture of milk and water represents the ability of Customs to differentiate between good and evil and to identify and prevent illicit activities of smuggling, narcotics, duty evasion etc.
A Medallion for Customs was also released. All modes of transport whether sea, air or land are represented in the medallion along with the tricolour to depict the dedication of Customs to nation-building and facilitation of all EXIM trade. (ANI)