Govt unveils IT initiatives for faster customs clearance

The government on Monday unveiled two new IT initiatives, ICEDASH and ATITHI, for improved monitoring and pace of customs clearance of imported goods.

These initiatives will also facilitate arriving international passengers with e-filing of baggage and currency declarations.

Launching the initiatives, "Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman lauded the measures taken by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) to leverage technology for providing better taxpayer services", according to an official release.

She also mentioned that the significant improvement in India's global ranking in the trading across border is in no small measure on account of the information technology (IT) and other reforms carried out by CBIC.

The minister expressed optimism that both ICEDASH and ATITHI would be key drivers for further improvement especially as they reduce interface and increase transparency of customs functioning.

ATITHI, she added, would in particular create a tech-savvy image of ...