Tag: FICCI CASCADE

Multiplier effect of counterfeiting, and smuggling harms society and impacts effective governance: Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary, Govt of Telangana
Business World

Multiplier effect of counterfeiting, and smuggling harms society and impacts effective governance: Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary, Govt of Telangana

Apr 2, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #CBI and Think Tank Member, #Chairman, #Electronics and Communications Department, #FICCI CASCADE, #FICCI Telangana State Council & Chairman, #Former Director, #Industries & Commerce, #Information Technology, #Mr Anil Sinha, #Mr T Muralidharan, #Mr. Jayesh Ranjan, #Principal Secretary to Government of Telangana, #TMI Group

NEW DELHI: Mr Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary to Government of Telangana, Industries & Commerce, Information Technology, Electronics and Communications Department yesterday said, “Long time multiplier effect of crimes such as counterfeiting, and smuggling is very harmful to the society at large and impacts effective governance.”

Addressing a webinar ‘Combating Counterfeiting and Smuggling during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond’, organized by FICCI’s Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy (CASCADE), Mr Ranjan said that it is very unfortunate that some people are trying to take advantage of this pandemic and thinking of counterfeiting and faking the COVID-19 vaccines. “The Telangana government is extremely cautious in protecting the larger public interest and is using blockchain and AI technology to create a deterrent environment against such crimes,” he added.

Mr T Muralidharan, Chairman, FICCI Telangana State Council & Chairman, TMI Group said, “Discussions on combating smuggling and counterfeiting are even more important in the context of COVID-19 which is impacting the economy and is endangering lives of people. Illicit trade adversely impacts the manufacturing strength of the nation and if not checked will act as barrier to the government’s vision of making India a global manufacturing hub.”

Mr Anil Sinha, Former Director, CBI and Think Tank Member, FICCI CASCADE emphasized on the need for policies and regulations which disincentivizes such illegal activity. He suggested how a nodal agency comprising of representatives from different government departments will ensure coordinated actions against this menace. FICCI CASCADE recently, had recommended to the Govt. of India for setting up of an umbrella body i.e., a multi-agency centre to ensure proper coordination amongst the concerned Ministries /Departments /Enforcement agencies to address the problems arising out of Illicit trade. This nodal agency could share intelligence and enhance cooperation among national and international bodies. Further, it could also make policy recommendations and build capacities to address the menace of counterfeiting and smuggling.

As cases related to smuggling and counterfeiting rise steeply during the past few months, the webinar was organized to discuss the disruptions caused by the pandemic, which have opened multiple avenues for criminals to prey upon susceptible organizations and consumers. The webinar was attended by industry, government officials, officers from the enforcement agencies and stakeholders in this segment and focused on the state of Telangana.

This initiative is a part of a series of such interactions which are being organized by FICCI CASCADE, across the country to highlight the problem of counterfeiting and smuggling and elicit response from different states.

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Economic security cannot be treated as separate from physical security: Mr Balesh Kumar, Principal Director General, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence

Dec 28, 2020 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #CBIC and Advisor, #Chairman, #Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), #FICCI CASCADE, #Former Chairman, #Mr Balesh Kumar, #Mr. Anil Rajput, #Mr. P. C. Jha, #Principal Director General

NEW DELHI: “National security needs to be looked at holistically. We must understand that economic security cannot be treated as something separate from physical security,” said Mr Balesh Kumar, Principal Director General, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), while discussing the smuggling scenario in the country at the FICCI CASCADE ‘In Conversation Series’. Speaking on the challenging security environment that India faced, Mr. Kumar was underling the need for all law enforcement agencies to have a constant vigil to prevent smuggling as well as to ensure that necessary inputs were available to prevent potential terror attacks funded both externally and internally.

“Sealing of borders is not enough to secure the hinterland. Issues relating to security can travel across the borders very quickly into India and for that we must have a clear strategy of comprehensive approach of looking at the internal security in conjunction with external security as well as physical security along with economic security”, he added.

Highlighting the unwavering efforts of DRI officers during the unprecedented coronavirus crisis, Mr Kumar informed that DRI has strategically focused on smuggling of cigarettes and gold this year seizing illicit cigarettes worth Rs. 45 crores and gold worth Rs. 275 crores in the last 9 months.

FICCI CASCADE has launched an ‘In Conversation Series’ to share insights and deepen understanding on the various facets of illicit trade such as smuggling and counterfeiting with various subject matter experts. As part of the series, Mr Balesh Kumar discussed the threat posed by smuggling to India’s security and economy, the pattern of smuggling due to COVID-19, preparedness of enforcement agencies in terms of adequacy of manpower and resources, and terrorism financing through the proceeds of smuggling.

Moderating the session, Mr. P. C. Jha, Former Chairman, CBIC and Advisor, FICCI CASCADE, said “Smuggling of items such as cigarettes, narcotics, substandard food items and medicines leads to severe health hazards. The unaccounted profit generated through smuggling is also utilised to finance global terror activities.”

Mr. Anil Rajput, Chairman, FICCI CASCADE, in his welcome address, observed that illicit trade was undeniably one of the greatest risks globally. Unfortunately, the problem has only compounded in the current COVID crisis when criminals have used the pandemic as an opportunity to increase their nefarious activities. Applauding the work of DRI, he added, “Even in this challenging scenario, DRI officers are fulfilling their responsibilities with utmost dedication and zeal and are playing a vital role in strengthening the economic and physical security of the nation.”

FICCI CASCADE has been, over the years, actively focusing on curbing the problem of growing illicit trade in smuggled, pass-offs and counterfeit goods and have been conducting dialogues focusing on identifying opportunities for joint actions to combat this menace. The interaction revolved around the collaborative role of law enforcement machinery, government and industry in thwarting this menace besides the need for collaboration through data sharing mechanisms and knowledge dissemination.

 

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Public policy and strong enforcement are needed to address counterfeiting and smuggling: Dr Amar Patnaik, MP, Rajya Sabha

Nov 27, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Deepankar Aron, #Dr Amar Patnaik, #enforcement, #FICCI CASCADE, #Mr. Anil Rajput, #Public Policy

Dr Amar Patnaik, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha elaborating on India’s economic resurgence yesterday said that parallel economy in counterfeiting and smuggling has to be addressed if India wants to achieve a $ 5 trillion economy in 2025 and aim to take it to $ 10 trillion by 2027.

Addressing the webinar on ‘Communication, Coordination and Collaboration- Strengthening the fight against counterfeiting and smuggling’ organized by FICCI’s Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy (CASCADE), Dr Patnaik said, “Measures such as public policy and strong enforcement are needed to address the problem of counterfeiting and smuggling.”

Mr Anil Rajput, Chair, FICCI CASCADE said that despite several measures taken by all stakeholders to contain smuggling and counterfeiting, further steps are required, both in the form of policy intervention and awareness generation to address this socio-economic scourge. “Establishing a coordinated national strategy to share intelligence, best practices and cooperation on cross-border investigations is the need of the hour,” he added.

While highlighting the need for all the stakeholders to work in sync to combat this menace, Mr Deepankar Aron, Commissioner, GST (Appeals), Dehradun, Uttarakhand said, “Right data sharing with the right people at the right time is important in order to address the issue of smuggling and counterfeiting.”

Further, on the enforcement scenario, Mr Aron said, “In just one-year, fraudulent imports exports worth Rs 2000 crore were detected leading to 200 arrests on white-collar crimes by the DRI, Eastern region.”

FICCI CASCADE has been over the years conducting multi-stakeholder dialogues focusing on identifying opportunities for joint actions between governments, enforcement agencies, industry and consumer organizations to combat this menace. The webinar brought together policymakers, think tanks, enforcement agencies, industry, and consumer organizations to deliberate on industry issues in tackling the flow of counterfeit, smuggled, and spurious products not only in the offline markets but on the online market space too.

The webinar saw participation from the e-commerce giant, Amazon whose representative discussed measures that Amazon employs to check the proliferation of the issue and highlighted their innovative mechanisms and advanced technology solutions in blocking & tracing bad actors.

Discussions revolved around the collaborative role of government and industry in thwarting this menace such as the need for collaboration with customs through data sharing mechanisms and knowledge dissemination. Areas of concern in consumer safety and brand protection was also highlighted.

tobacco
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Seizures of illicit cigarettes jumps by 800% during COVID times

Nov 18, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #cigarette, #FICCI CASCADE, #Mr. Anil Rajput

FICCI’s Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy (CASCADE) applauds the enforcement agencies in India for their increased vigilance to combat smuggling activities. In a commendable feat, the agencies have seized an astounding quantity of illicit cigarettes worth around Rs. 412 crores in the last five months across India. The seizures witnessed a quantum jump of almost 800% from mere Rs. 52 crores in 2019 (June-Oct) to a mammoth Rs. 412 crores for the same period in 2020. This comes in the wake of several cases being intercepted during the COVID -19 pandemic.

During the last five months, Customs, DRI, Assam Rifles, BSF and State Police have reported large seizures of illicit cigarettes in Mumbai, Kolkata, North East, Bhopal, Hyderabad and several other cities. The increase in the scale of seizures not only highlights the importance of the work done by enforcement agencies but also calls for continued focus on tackling the widespread menace.

Mr. Anil Rajput, Chairman, FICCI CASCADE said, “There has been an almost eightfold increase over the year, indicating that India continues to be a target for tobacco smugglers in spite of several restrictions. It is clear that criminal enterprises are continuing to seek ways of ensuring the infiltration of smuggled goods into the country.” Complimenting the government and the enforcement agencies for relentlessly pursuing the perpetrators, Mr Rajput added, “While the recent efforts of enforcement officers are laudable, we cannot afford to let the guard go down and must maintain strict vigil to ensure that these offenders are kept at bay”.

In spite of several measures which are being undertaken by the government, to tackle this problem, further steps are required, both in the form of policy intervention and awareness generation. In order to create large-scale awareness of this menace, FICCI CASCADE has been conducting interactions with government and enforcement agencies across several states in India on the ways to mitigate this challenge.

Business World

Creating consumer awareness and reducing illicit market operations- vital for a conducive environment for growth and development in the country

Oct 28, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Deepak L Aswani, #Dileep Narayanan, #FICCI CASCADE, #M I Sahadulla, #Mr. Anil Rajput, #P. Thilothaman, #Paul Francis, #V. Noushad, #Varkey Peter

“Create consumer awareness and substantially reduce the illicit market operations for a conducive environment for growth and development in the country”, said Shri. P. Thilothaman, Hon’ble Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, Govt. of Kerala at the Webinar held today on Combating Counterfeit and Smuggled and Pirated goods During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond, organized by FICCI’s Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy (CASCADE) focusing on the state of Kerala.

business women

Hon’ble Minister further added, “Consumer awareness on fake and smuggled goods is low and hence many consumers are unaware that they are buying such goods and equally unaware of the consequences. Protecting and promoting the welfare of consumers has become one of the major concerns of our government and organizing awareness programs such as this help to educate and sensitize the consumers.”

Complimenting the Kerala Government, Mr Anil Rajput, Chairman, FICCI CASCADE said, “despite having multitude of challenges owing to COVID-19, the enforcement agencies of Kerala have seized large number of illicit liquor, fake sanitizer products, gold, tobacco products and much more.” Highlighting Prime Minister’s Vocal for Local initiative, Mr. Rajput emphasised “I could not imagine a better time for the Hon’ble Prime Ministers clarion call of vocal for local-Aatmanirbhar Bharat, which to my mind could alleviate the pain and catapult India to even greater heights in the future.”

In his opening remarks, Dr. M I Sahadulla, Co-Chair, FICCI Kerala State Council and MD, KIMS Healthcare Management Ltd. said, “Kerala being a consumer state, the opportunity is more for illicit traders. Hence, it is essential to create awareness and put an end to such nefarious activities.”

Perspectives from Kerala Police was shared by Shri. S. Sreejith, IPS, IG, Crime, Kerala Police. Shri Sumit Kumar, Commissioner of Custom, Preventive, Kerala Customs shared the custom department’s vision in addressing this issue. Some of the key suggestions included:

  •  Need for a wide-scale programme to educate both industry and citizens about the dangers of smuggled and counterfeit goods.
  • A convergence of the stakeholders to address the menace of counterfeiting and smuggling
  • Information based preventive action is a key tool to catch the perpetrators of illicit trade.

Eminent industry leaders including Shri. Deepak L Aswani, Co-Chair, FICCI Kerala State Council and Managing Partner, Lachmandas & Sons; Shri. V. Noushad, Managing Director, VKC Group Companies; Shri Varkey Peter, Managing Director, Mothers Agro Foods Pvt Ltd.; Shri. Paul Francis, Managing Director, KLF Nirmal Industries (Pvt) Ltd and Shri. Dileep Narayanan – Head-Bullion & Treasury ,Malabar Gold Private Ltd., took part in the deliberations and were of the view that problem of illicit trade has only compounded in the current situation, where criminals have used the pandemic as an opportunity to cause significant damage on the economy of the nation, health, and safety of the consumers. All the speakers also reiterated that consumer safety, safeguarding legitimate businesses while promoting indigenous production will play a significant role in the path to our economic recovery.

Several steps are being taken by FICCI CASCADE and the government to create large-scale awareness among the most impacted segment of this menace: the consumer. The seminar, focusing on the State of Kerala which was organised, is a part of a series of such events to be organised across the country as part of a nation-wide awareness campaign to highlight the issue and focus on the growing menace of illegal trade.