The first Global Conference on Cooperation in Enforcement Matters (GCCEM) was held in New Delhi, Delhi from 30th October to 1st November 2023. The conference was inaugurated by Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Ministry of Finance (MoF).
- The theme of 1st GCCEM was ‘It takes a Network to fight a Network’.
Organisers:
The conference was organised by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), under Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) in consultation with World Customs Organisation (WCO), Brussels in Belgium.
Key People:
i.Pankaj Chaudhary, Minister of State (MoS), MoF, was the Guest of Honour and Secretary General, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, WCO was the Special Guest at the Inaugural Session.
ii.Sanjay Kumar Agarwal, Chairman, CBIC, along with More than 75 delegates representing over 40 Custom Administrations / Organisations participated in the conference.
Aim:
To promote knowledge exchange, best practices, and foster collaboration with Indian Customs’ partners while building new partnerships.
Key Points:
i.The WCO has collaborated with Indian Customs to ensure wide participation by Member Administrations and international organisations, including WCO’s Regional Intelligence Liaison Offices (RILOs) and senior representations from the WCO Secretariat.
ii.This conference strengthens worldwide law enforcement networks, benefiting both India’s and the global economy.
iii.Various technical sessions in the field of anti- smuggling and commercial frauds were held .
- The sessions discussed global tobacco smuggling, combating organized crime, protecting natural resources like Red Sanders, and addressing challenges in handling rising e-commerce volumes and cross-border smuggling of precious items, focusing on regulatory practices to combat money laundering.
v.Participants agreed on stressed timely intelligence sharing, building strong networks among Customs administrations and international organizations, and leveraging existing mechanisms within domestic laws to enhance collaboration against crimes.
Launch of phase IV of ‘Operation Sesha‘ to curb the illegal trade of Timber, including Red Sanders
The Union Finance Minister also launched phase IV of ‘Operation Sesha’ by Indian Customs in collaboration with RILO Asia-Pacific and RILO Middle-East to curb the illegal trade of Timber including Red Sanders.
Background:
Operation Sesha was launched in 2015 by DRI to combat precious wood smuggling, involved 17 countries, including Malaysia, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, China, Nepal, Myanmar, Vietnam, Maldives, Pakistan, and the Philippines.
- Red Sanders, native to Andhra Pradesh (AP), is regulated by the State, and after a December 2022 amendment to the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, it is listed in Schedule IV.
- The Operation is named after the Seshachalam forest of India, AP to which the Red Sanders species is endemic.
Recent Related News:
i.The Rural WASH Partners’ Forum (RWPF), a platform of the Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation (DDWS) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, celebrated its 1st anniversary during a two-day National Conference on Rural WASH Partners’ Forum at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, Delhi.
ii.On 28th July 2023, PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the 2nd edition of SemiconIndia 2023 conference organised by India Semiconductor Mission at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The Conference was held from 28th-30th July 2023 under the theme of ‘Catalysing India’s Semiconductor Ecosystem’.
About Directorate of Revenue intelligence (DRI):
Director General– Mohan Kumar Singh
Headquartered– New Delhi, Delhi
