Page 21 - SMUGGLING IN INDIA REPORT FOR 2020-2021

Kunio Mikuriya
WCO Secretary General
Dear Director General,
MESSAGE
It is my pleasure to write this message in light of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs’ (CBIC) publication of the 2021 edition of the “Smuggling in India Report”; which is being published on the occasion of the 64th Foundation Day of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).
Since joining the World Customs Organization (WCO) in 1971 the CBIC has continued to cooperate with the WCO and its Members on a variety of enforcement related topics. For example, in March of this year the WCO and CBIC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the establishment of a WCO Regional Customs Laboratory (RCL) which will be based in India. This RCL will play an important role in helping other countries in the region improve the accuracy and effectiveness of their Customs laboratory analysis work by promoting and enhancing regional cooperation and networking.
The CBIC has also played an important role in funding activities in various WCO regions through their Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF) India. For example, CCF India funding was recently used to host a WCO Regional Workshop on Preferential Rules of Origin for African French-Speaking Least Developing Countries (LDCs). Similarly, CBIC experts have also participated as trainers in a variety of WCO training initiatives around the world.
For a number of years the DRI has provided WCO Members with relevant information by sharing seizure information on our Customs Enforcement Network (CEN) seizure database as well as sharing information at the regional level through the WCO’s Regional Intelligence Liaison Office (RILO) Network.
World Customs Organization