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Press Release

Prevention of smuggling can save jobs, money: Anurag Singh Thakur

Sep 26, 2019

 

NEW DELHI, 26 September 2019: Mr Anurag Singh Thakur, Minister of State, Finance and Corporate Affairs, Government of India, today said that the government along with organisations like FICCI must fight against counterfeit trade, smuggling and piracy to save jobs and money.

Speaking at the 6th edition of MASCRADE 2019 - 'Containing Counterfeiting, Smuggling and Piracy: A Winning Strategy', organized by FICCI CASCADE (Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy), Mr Thakur said that India needs more awareness to understand the difference between fake and original goods. He urged the stakeholders to leverage use of technology to stop this growing menace.

"Smuggling, counterfeit trade and piracy hold back progress, raises the cost of goods, leads to tax evasion, hampers job creation and creates safety hazards for consumers," said Mr Thakur. With focused efforts, the country can save lot of money and jobs, he added.

Mr Nityanand Rai, Minister of State, Home Affairs, Government of India said that counterfeiting and smuggling directly impacts health, economy, employment, education and society. The government has already taken several measures to address this issue, he said. "FICCI CASCADE should send recommendations on curbing this problem to all ministries in the government to further strengthen these measures," Mr Rai added.

Highlighting the several initiatives undertaken by the Government of India to fight the menace of smuggling and counterfeiting, Mr P.K. Das, Chairman, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) said, "Money generated through illicit trade funds organized crime and nurtures illegal drugs trade." He further added that the CBIC is equipped with all advance technologies to detect counterfeit and smuggled products.

Mr Anil Rajput, Chairman, FICCI CASCADE said, "I must say that the work undertaken by Mr Narendra Modi's government has been laudable. Under his able directions and guidance, the seizures of illicit goods are at an all-time high in India. Smuggling and counterfeiting are increasingly hurting Indian economy and have crept into multiple sections of the society. Immediate steps are required, both in the form of policy intervention and awareness generation, to address this growing menace."

The event brought together stakeholders from governments, private sector, international organisations, law enforcement agencies and civil society for a series of action-driven dialogues to combat illicit trade. Speakers from INTERPOL, US Intellectual Property-South Asia, UK Intellectual Property Office, Australian Border Force, HM Revenue and Customs and US Homeland Security, among others, along with key dignitaries from the Indian government, police, judiciary, customs and captains of the industry spoke at the conference.

 

To encourage and acknowledge the work of the law enforcement agencies, FICCI CASCADE also felicitated the best performing officers for the year 2018-19 for their outstanding achievement in the prevention of counterfeiting and smuggling, and enforcement of anti-smuggling and anti-counterfeiting laws.

 

List of the awardees:

 

  1. Mr Pawan Yadav, Comm J.G, Coast Guard, Delhi
  2. Major Surender Kumar Yadav, Assam Rifles, Shillong
  3. Mr Joy N. Tirkey, DCP Crime, Delhi Police
  4. Mr P. Vijayan, IPS, Inspector General of Police, Kerala Police
  1. Mr Himanshu Shukla, IPS, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Anti-Terrorist Squard, Gujarat Police
  2. Mr Amritpal Singh, IPS, SP City North Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir Police
  3. Mr Mahendra Mathe, DSP, Visakhapatnam City, Andhra Pradesh Police
  4. Mr T.V. Satyanarayana, CI, Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh Police
  5. Mr A. Sadiq Ali, CI, KDP, RSASTF, Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh Police
  6. Mr Y.Tarakeswara Rao, SI, V Madugula PS, Visakhapatnam Rural, Andhra Pradesh Police
  7. Mr Padmakar Bhaskarrao Ghanwat, Police Inspector, Maharashtra Police, Mumbai
  8. Mr Sunil Dharma Mane, Police Inspector, Maharashtra Police, Mumbai
  9. Mr Wahid Akbar Pathan, Asst. Police Inspector, Maharashtra Police, Mumbai
  10. Ms Brinda Thounoujam, Addl Superintendent of Police, NAB, Manipur
  11. Mr Tapas Kumar Sarkar, Senior Intelligence Officer, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Kolkata Zonal Unit
  12. Mr Pawan Kumar, Intelligence Officer, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Ahmedabad Zonal Unit
  13. Mr Kiran Kumar, Joint Commissioner (SIIB), ICD TKD Import Commissionerate Tughlakabad, New Delhi

 

As a precursor to MASCRADE 2018, CASCADE organized an interschool competition titled: Zero Evasion- 'Fight Counterfeiting and Smuggling'. Children from over 50 schools across Delhi NCR participated in the competition. The winners were also awarded during the programme.

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