Centre doubles down on strengthening India's anti-smuggling efforts

by IANS |

New Delhi, Oct 11 (IANS) Leading financial and intelligence agencies and border guarding forces deliberated upon strengthening India’s anti-smuggling efforts, according to the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) on Saturday.

The discussions took place during the second meeting of the National Anti-Smuggling Coordination Centre (S-CORD) at the Directorate of Revenue intelligence (DRI) headquarters, CBIC said in an X post.

Participants from 21 diverse agencies attended the meeting, including Border Guarding forces like SSB, ITBP, BSF, AR, CISF, CRPF, and the Indian Coast Guard, as well as key financial and intelligence agencies such as ED, CEIB, FIU, CBI, IB and Cabinet Secretariat, along with representatives from CBDT, DPIIT, ASI, WCCB, CDSCO, Indian Railways, and the D&ISA Division of MEA.

Constituted after the directions of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the first S-CORD meeting was held in April 2019.

S-CORD is a unique platform that brings together a wide array of stakeholders under one umbrella to strengthen India’s anti-smuggling efforts.

It enables closer monitoring of evolving smuggling trends; enhanced real-time information sharing; coordinated, agile operational responses; and unified approach to protect India's economic and border security, according to the CBIC post.

Recently, Union Home Minister Amit Shah asked the anti-narcotics task forces (ANTFs) of the states and union territories, as well as the central agencies, to scale up the action against drug trafficking.

HM Shah also launched the Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) Online Drug Disposal Campaign which destroyed 1.37 lakh kg of narcotics valued at Rs 4,800 crore at 11 locations across the country.

Addressing ANTF chiefs, HM Shah said the PM Modi government is adopting a three-pronged approach — “a ruthless approach to break supply chains, a strategic approach to reduce demand, and a humane approach to harm reduction”.

He stressed that the fight must expand beyond targeting small peddlers to dismantling cartels at entry points, interstate distribution, and local sale networks.