30/1/2015 | Bangalore

Smuggling and counterfeiting in India are growing in scope and magnitude with every passing day. The extent and effects of smuggling and counterfeiting are of such significance that they compel strong and sustained action from governments, enforcement agencies, business, media, legal experts and consumers.

More effective enforcement is critical in this regard, as we need to build public support to combat smuggling and counterfeiting. With this view, FICCI CASCADE organised a training program of Customs officers to sensitize them on the menace of smuggling and counterfeiting, in Bangalore on 30th January, 2015.

Mr. Harish Kumar Additional Commissioner, Customs, Bangalore, while inaugurating the programme, shared his views and insights on the menace of counterfeiting and smuggling. Mr. Kumar welcomed FICCI CASCADE for bringing such an important issue of counterfeiting and smuggling.  Welcoming the training programme for Customs officers organized by FICCI CASCADE, he said that these forums proved useful for industry-customs collaboration in understanding and tackling the growing menace of illicit trade practices, and these programs should be organized across the country.

Mr. P C Jha, Advisor, FICCI CASCADE and Ex-chairman, CBEC, sharing while his experience, highlighted the importance of creating public opinion to curb this menace. Mr. Jha emphasized that the high rates of taxes and the inter-state tax variations led to higher tax evasion. He cited the example of tobacco products such as cigarettes where the rate variation was so wide that it gave impetus to counterfeiting and smuggling activities.

The training programme was attended by over 30 customs officials, and provided a useful platform for the exchange of ideas and experiences in the detection and prevention of the entry of counterfeit and smuggled goods into the country.

Representatives of Harley Davidson and Puma gave presentations and exhibited samples of their original products alongside the counterfeit copies. The objective was to inform the participating Customs officials about the growing problem of counterfeiting and smuggling in the respective industry segments, and to highlight key technical aspects of their products which could facilitate the detection of counterfeit products. The participating Customs officials found the presentations constructive and interacted actively both with the company representatives and among themselves.