Sh. Arvind Shrivastava, Revenue Secretary, Sh. Vivek Chaturvedi, Chairman, CBIC, along with Members of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, inaugurated the National Symposium on Customs Reforms, 2026 on 26th February 2026 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
The symposium brought together senior government officials, industry leaders, trade representatives, and policy experts to deliberate on key reform initiatives aimed at enhancing trade facilitation, strengthening compliance, and leveraging technology for faster and more transparent customs processes.
The event focused on building a future-ready customs administration aligned with global best practices, promoting ease of doing business, and supporting India’s vision of becoming a leading global trade hub.
Addressing the National Symposium on Customs Reforms 2026, Revenue Secretary Sh. Arvind Shrivastava emphasized that India stands at a critical stage in its economic journey, with rising trade volumes, deeper global integration and a growing digital commerce ecosystem. He highlighted the strategic role of Customs not only as a regulatory authority but as an enabler of economic growth, resilient supply chains and global competitiveness.
Underscoring the Union Budget reforms, he stressed two core pillars—trust in stakeholders and effective use of technology. He noted that the government’s consultative approach, including placing draft rules in the public domain, reflects a shift towards partnership, transparency and collaboration with industry. He also highlighted key focus areas such as digital governance, SWIFT 2.0, export facilitation, courier reforms and citizen-centric initiatives like simplified baggage rules.
He urged stakeholders to provide practical, field-based suggestions to ensure that policy vision translates into operational outcomes, contributing to efficient border management and the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047.
Addressing the National Symposium on Customs Reforms 2026 at Vigyan Bhawan, Sh. Surjit Bhujabal, Member (Customs), CBIC, highlighted the evolving role of Indian Customs as a key enabler of economic growth and global trade integration. He noted that over 86% of import and export consignments are now facilitated seamlessly without physical interface, reflecting a shift towards trust-based, technology-driven processes.
Emphasizing India’s progress under the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement and the National Trade Facilitation Action Plan, he underlined significant gains in automation, transparency and coordinated border management. He also pointed to India’s strong performance in global trade facilitation indicators as a signal of investor confidence.
He outlined the vision of Customs 2047, focusing on digital transformation, risk-based enforcement, inclusive exports and secure supply chains. The symposium, he said, would help operationalize budget reforms centred on trust, technology, export promotion and ease of living, reinforcing Customs’ role in building a competitive and resilient trade ecosystem.
A breakout session on “Export Opportunities: Courier Reforms, Fisheries Enablement and Export Procedure Reforms” was held during the National Symposium on Customs Reforms 2026 in the presence of Sh. M.K. Singh, Member, CBIC. The session was convened by the Chief Commissioner, Bengaluru Zone, and brought together key stakeholders from government, logistics and export sectors.
The panel featured Dr. Ram Mohan M. K., Director, MPEDA; Sh. Vijay Kumar, CEO, EICI; Sh. Rajesh Sharma, Vice President, ICEA; Dr. Alok Badkul, Executive Director (ACCC), CONCOR; and Sh. Mithileshwar Thakur, Secretary General, AEPC. The discussions focused on simplifying export procedures, strengthening courier and cross-border e-commerce frameworks, and enhancing fisheries exports through improved infrastructure, certification and digital processes.
The session emphasized enabling MSMEs, startups and sector-specific exporters with faster, predictable and technology-driven customs clearances, while ensuring compliance, supply chain security and global competitiveness.
A breakout session on “SWIFT 2.0, Customs Information Systems (CIS) and the Existing Digital Ecosystem” was held during the National Symposium on Customs Reforms 2026 in the presence of Sh. Yogendra Garg, Member, CBIC. The session was convened by the Principal Director General, DG Systems, and brought together key representatives from partner government agencies and trade bodies.
The panel included Sh. Manvesh Kumar, Director, FSSAI; Dr. Rajeev Raghuvanshi, DCGI, CDSCO; Sh. Ramakrishna, Advisor, FFFAI; Dr. Ajai Sahai, DG & CEO, FIEO; and Sh. Rishi Goel, ADG, Single Window. The discussions focused on strengthening digital integration, enhancing real-time data exchange, streamlining regulatory clearances and improving inter-agency coordination.
The session emphasized the role of SWIFT 2.0 in building a seamless, technology-driven trade interface, enabling faster approvals, transparency and predictability while supporting ease of doing business and secure, efficient border management.
A breakout session on “Trust-based Customs Processes, Digital Governance, Legal Changes and Import Procedural Reforms” was held during the National Symposium on Customs Reforms 2026 in the presence of Sh. Vivek Chaturvedi, Chairman, CBIC, and Sh. Abhai Srivastava, Member, CBIC. The session was convened by the Chief Commissioner, Mumbai-II, and witnessed active participation from industry experts and trade representatives.
The panel comprised Sh. Joshua Ebenezer NuCov, Trade Facilitation Expert; Sh. Sanjeev Harale, President, BCBA; Sh. Giridhar G. Pai, Commissioner of Customs, NS-II; Sh. Ravi Bhardwaj, International Spirits and Wine Association of India; and Sh. Umesh Grover, Secretary General, CFSAI. Discussions focused on strengthening trust-based frameworks, expanding benefits for Authorised Economic Operators, simplifying import procedures and enhancing legal clarity through digital governance.
The session emphasized balancing facilitation with enforcement, reducing compliance burden and building a transparent, predictable and technology-driven import ecosystem aligned with global best practices.
A breakout session on “Ease of Living: Baggage Rules and Personal Imports” was held during the National Symposium on Customs Reforms 2026 in the presence of Sh. Sanjay Mangal, Member, CBIC. The session was convened by the Chief Commissioner, Kolkata, and brought together key stakeholders from aviation, logistics and technology sectors.
The panel included Sh. Alok Jha, Principal Commissioner, Mumbai; Sh. Kashif Khan, Chairman, Airlines Operators Association; Sh. Ujjwal Bakshi, IATA; Sh. Dushyant Mulani, FFFAI; Sh. Manish Mittal, SITA; Sh. Vasudevan Rajagopalan, EICI; and Sh. Amitesh Bharat Singh, ADG, DG Systems. Discussions focused on rationalising baggage rules, simplifying procedures for personal imports and enhancing passenger facilitation through digital self-declaration and risk-based screening.
The session highlighted the importance of technology-enabled, transparent and citizen-centric processes to improve international travel experience while ensuring compliance, security and seamless border management.
Source from: https://x.com/cbic_india/status/2026951635319378266
