Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare inaugurated the 7th Edition of ‘MASCRADE 2021’ – Movement against Smuggled & Counterfeit Trade organized by FICCI Cascade (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry – Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy) which took place from January 21-22, 2021.
Manmohan Sarin, Former Chief Justice, High Court of Jammu and Kashmir, Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General of World Customs Organisation, Uday Shankar President, President of FICCI were present during the event.
i.Objective of MASCRADE:
To serve as a platform for discussion on ways to reduce counterfeiting, smuggling & spurious products during the post COVID period.
ii.Initiatives taken by Government to tackle Spurious Drugs
Amendment of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 under the Drugs & Cosmetics Amendment Act 2008. The Features of the Act are
- If a drug is found to be adulterated or spurious, the liable person may face imprisonment of upto 10 years (extendable to life term).
- Establishment of Special Court for trial of offence to ensure speedy disposal of cases.
iii.‘Vocal for Local’ as a tool to fight illicit trade
Harsh Vardhan stated that ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ & ‘Vocal for Local’ may become an effective tool to fight illicit trade of drugs.
- Indigenous production of drugs will end the dependence on foreign products
- It will also shrink the platforms for unfair profiting, smuggling & trade of illicit trade.
iv.Areas to take actions:
- Harsh Vardhan emphasized on equipping security force & enforcement agencies with the latest technology to fight smuggling & piracy.
- Raising of penalties for those committing the crime
- Allocation of more financial and human resources in the fight against smuggling, counterfeiting & piracy.
v.Each year, FICCI MASCRADE recognizes and honours the contributions made by Law Enforcement Agencies & Officers for their efforts to mitigate counterfeiting & smuggling.
About FICCI Cascade:
Chairman – Anil Rajput
Headquarters – New Delhi
