India launches paperless documentation on exports
The documents connected with imports to and export from India will become fully electronic by this year-end, eliminating the need for human interface.
Ajit Kumar, chairman of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), launched paperless documentation on exports in New Delhi yesterday.
The new initiative came over a month after a similar initiative for imports with effect from April 15 this year.
Kumar unveiled a secure QR coded shipping bill that would be electronically sent to exporters after the customs allows export -- eliminating in one stroke the requirement of exporters having to approach the customs officers for proof of export.
This also makes the end-to-end customs export process fully electronic, from the filing of the shipping bill to the final order to allow export.
"Today's initiative in yet another step taken by the CBIC for fulfilling its commitment to a faceless, paperless, and contactless customs under the umbrella of its Turant Customs programme," Kumar said.
These reforms are based on enhanced use of digital technology to reduce the time and costs for the importers, exporters and other stakeholders, thereby improving India's ranking in the World Bank's trading-across-borders parameter of its Doing Business Report, he added.
The electronic transmission of the shipping bill would do away with the existing requirement to take paper printout of these documents and exporters would not have to visit the customs houses for this purpose.
Turant Customs, which has as its main component faceless assessment, would be implemented in phases across the entire country by January 1, 2021, according to Kumar.
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