Work focus of Indian Customs shifted to trade facilitation: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

The focus of work of Indian Customs has shifted to ease of doing business and trade facilitation, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said.

In her message on the occasion of International Customs Day on January 26, she said adopting a people-centric approach by the Customs officers will further augment the transformative process of the department's functioning.

“There has been a paradigm shift in the working of Indian Customs as focus shifted to ease of doing business and trade facilitation. Adopting a people centric approach will further augment the transformative process of Customs functioning,” she said.

She further said that the World Customs Organisation has aptly chosen the theme for the year “Customs bolstering recovery, renewal and resilience for a sustainable supply chain”.

“A secure supply chain is vital to our growth and Indian Customs has been striving hard to lead from the front in ensuring it,” Sitharaman added.

Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur in his message said: “As we emerge from the pandemic, the role of Customs becomes even more important in safeguarding our borders.”