Source: Press Information Bureau
Recently the Union Minister for improved monitoring and pace of Customs clearance of imported goods and facilitating arriving international passengers by the electronic filing of Customs baggage and currency declarations.
India International Science Festival (IISF) 2019, an annual event organized jointly by the science and technology-related Ministries and Departments of the Government of India and Vijnana Bharati (Vibha), is being held in Kolkata this year. This is the fifth edition since its inception in 2015 and will take place during November 5th – 8th, 2019. IISF-2019 is a festival to celebrate the achievements of India’s scientific and technological advancements with students, innovators, craftsmen, farmers, scientists and technocrats from India and abroad. Thus, the theme for this year’s festival is RISEN India – Research, Innovation, and Science Empowering the Nation.
About ICEDASH & ATITHI
ICEDASH
- It is an Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) monitoring dashboard of the Indian Customs helping the public see the daily Customs clearance times of import cargo at various ports and airports.
- With ICEDASH, Indian Customs has taken a lead globally to provide an effective tool that helps businesses compare clearance times across ports and plan their logistics accordingly. This dashboard has been developed by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) in collaboration with NIC.
- ICEDASH can be accessed through the CBIC website.
ATITHI
- With ATITHI, CBIC has introduced an easy to use mobile app for international travelers to file the Customs declaration in advance.
- Passengers can use this app to file declaration of dutiable items and currency with the Indian Customs even before boarding the flight to India.
- ATITHI is available on both iOS and Android.
Significance
- Both ICEDASH and ATITHI would be key drivers for further improvement especially as they reduce interface and increase the transparency of Customs functioning.
- ATITHI would, in particular, create a tech-savvy image of India Customs and would encourage tourism and business travel to India
