New Delhi, Feb 26 (.) The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of India to the World Trade Organization (WTO), organised special trade facilitation sessions on the sidelines of the WTO Committee on Trade Facilitation meeting in Geneva.
The Indian delegation was led by Special Secretary and Member (Customs), Surjit Bhujabal. The event featured two focused sessions on Trade Facilitation and Capacity Building, highlighting India’s reforms under the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).
The programme was organised ahead of India’s 8th Trade Policy Review scheduled for July 2026 and witnessed participation from delegates representing around 40 countries, reflecting global interest in India’s trade facilitation initiatives.
India informed that it has notified 100 per cent of its TFA commitments within stipulated timelines and has moved towards “TFA Plus” measures under the National Trade Facilitation Action Plan (NTFAP 3.0).
The delegation emphasised India’s “whole-of-government approach” and showcased the country’s faceless, contactless and paperless Customs ecosystem driven by digitalisation and process re-engineering.
CBIC highlighted its indigenously developed digital Customs systems, including the Single Window Interface, Risk Management System (RMS), Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Programme, pre-arrival customs processing, Electronic Exchange of Origin Data (EODES), Electronic Cargo Tracking System (ECTS), modern Customs Control Laboratories, and initiatives on Coordinated Border Management (CBM) and Virtual Trade Corridors (VTC).
During the Capacity Building session, India underlined its engagement with developing and least-developed countries, particularly from the Global South. Through the National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes & Narcotics (NACIN), India conducts structured training programmes for Indian and foreign customs officers.
India noted that since 2022, NACIN has conducted 65 training programmes benefiting more than 1,800 international participants from around 30 countries, while the Central Revenue Control Laboratory (CRCL) has trained over 300 international participants. Both NACIN and CRCL are recognised by the World Customs Organization (WCO) as Regional Training Centre for Asia-Pacific and Regional Customs Laboratory, respectively.
Bhujabal stated that India’s digitisation and modernisation of Customs procedures over the past decade have contributed to trade growth and deeper integration into global value chains.
He added that the digital ecosystem connects traders, Customs authorities, banks and logistics operators, enabling faster clearances, lower transaction costs and reduced compliance burdens, particularly for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
CBIC’s Ease of Doing Business reforms for 2026 will focus on expanding digital trade facilitation through a single interconnected Customs digital window, trust-based frameworks for trusted importers, factory-to-ship clearance, removal of the Rs 10 lakh value cap on courier exports, Return to Origin (RTO) provisions for unclaimed shipments, and simplified procedures for e-commerce export returns.
India’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the WTO in Geneva, Senthil Pandian, highlighted that India achieved an overall trade facilitation implementation score of over 93 per cent in the UNESCAP Global Survey 2023, placing it among leading performers in the Asia-Pacific region and the highest in South Asia.
The event reaffirmed the WTO’s role as a platform for exchange of best practices and technical cooperation, with India reiterating its commitment to strengthening global trade facilitation frameworks.
. VK SAS PRS