HUMANITARIAN CUSTOMS LESSONS LEARNT REGARDING CUSTOMS RESPONSE AND

HUMANITARIAN CUSTOMS LESSONS LEARNT REGARDING CUSTOMS RESPONSE AND ROLE IN SUPPLY CHAIN CONTINUITY DURING COVID -19 PANDEMIC

Authored by: 1. Mr. T. Samaya Murali, IRS, Joint Commissioner 2. Ms. S. Vandana Raj, IRS, Assistant Commissioner 3. Mr. G. Kanaga Subramanian, IRS, Asst. Commissioner

Presented by : PRESENTED BY: 1. Mr. T. Samaya Murali, IRS, Joint Commissioner 2. Ms. S. Vandana Raj, IRS, Assistant Commissioner

COVID- 19 PANDEMIC AND CONCERNS: • Jan 2020 : WHO declares as PHEIC – Public Health Emergency of International Concern • March 2020 - Pandemic • Lockdown leading to supply chain disruptions • Public health safety

CHALLENGES FACED BY CUSTOMS CONGESTION IN PORTS CRITICAL SUPPLIES LABOUR/STA FF ISSUES LOGISTICS ISSUES COVI D HEALTH ISSUES UNSCRUPULO US ACTIVITIES COMPLIANCE ISSUES

CHALLENGES FACED BY STAKEHOLDERS q q q EXPORTERS/ IMPORTERS SHIPPING-LINES/ AIRLINES PORT TERMINALS TRANSPORTERS WAREHOUSE q q q PARTNER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES CUSTOM BROKERS COURIERS

ROLE OF CUSTOMS IN SUPPLY CHAIN CONTINUITY POLICY RESPONSES q q q q q Turant Customs – Faceless assessment E-office roll out Non-levy of detention charges Waiver of demurrage charges Extension of time limits for compliance Special Drive for MSMEs Extension of AEO certificates Relaxation of procedures Quicker resolution of trade issues through multistakeholder meetings

ROLE OF CUSTOMS IN SUPPLY CHAIN CONTINUITY TECHNOLOGICAL RESPONSES q q q Dedicated online single window COVID-19 helpdesk’ for EXIM trade e-delivery of PDF based Gate-pass and Out of Charge copy of Bill of Entry Paperless documentation Dispute resolution : Personal Hearing through Video conferencing ICE DASH (Indian Customs Eo. DB Dashboard) provided real-time visibility into clearance times e-Sanchit or “Integrated Declaration”

ROLE OF CUSTOMS IN SUPPLY CHAIN CONTINUITY INNOVATIVE PRACTICES q q q Vande Bharat Mission for passengers Emergency clearance of relief cargo and essential commodities Sovereign lead role by Customs in coordinating with other agencies –Case study of Chennai Customs Addition to existing infrastructure Local best practices

MEASURES TAKEN BY CUSTOMS TO PROTECT THEIR FRONTLINE OFFICERS q q q Customs officers– high risk occupational group; Contingency fund to take care of health and safety of frontline officers; Providing safe work environment; Financial assistance to the lower rung officers; Staggering of office hours and roster system to rationalize the man power. A dedicated COVID-19 Task Force for the health and safety of officers

RISK MANAGEMENT q q Balancing trade facilitation with enforcement Risk profiling Non intrusive examination Stringent action under Customs Act, 1962 and other Allied acts

LESSONS LEARNT q q q Early response and planning Emergency SOP for faster clearance “Right Queue” for essential goods – priority based queuing system Communication, Cooperation & Collaboration with partner agencies Manpower rationalisation

DATA ANALYSIS (PART 1) JNCH Mumbai ICD Delhi Chennai Custom House Air Cargo, Mumbai Air Cargo, Chennai Air Cargo, Delhi Air Cargo, Bangalore Comparison of Dwell time in March, April and May 2020 in 6 major customs stations in India. (Green channel) (measured in hours)

DATA ANALYSIS(PART 2) JNCH Mumbai ICD Delhi Chennai Custom House Air Cargo, Mumbai Air Cargo, Chennai Air Cargo, Delhi Air Cargo, Bangalore Comparison of Dwell time in March, April and May 2020 in 6 major customs stations in India. (Red channel) (measured in hours)

ROLE OF WCO IN SUPPLY CHAIN CONTINUITY q q q q Updation of HS classification of critical medical supplies in collaboration with WHO Partnered with WTO for seamless border trade Global trade helpdesk with WTO, UNCTAD & ITC Partnered with Universal Postal Union for re-routing postal traffic Coordination with International Road Transport Union(TIR Convention) Partnered with Organisation for International Carriage by Rail(OTIF) and Organisation for Cooperation between Railways(OSJD) for streamlining rail traffic IPR CENcomm group for real time intelligence sharing Various tools through Covid-19 dedicated webpage

TO CONCLUDE. . . Trade facilitation Enforcement Humanitarian approach CUSTOMS BORDERS DIVIDE, CUSTOMS

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