An official statement from the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), issued on Thursday, Feb 26, 2026, said the CBIC and India’s Permanent Mission to the WTO in Geneva organised special sessions on trade on the sidelines of the World Trade Organisation’s Committee on Trade Facilitation meeting in Geneva. The two sessions, held on Tuesday, Feb 24, focused on trade facilitation and capacity building and drew delegates from around 40 countries as India prepares for its 8th Trade Policy Review scheduled for July 2026.
Speakers highlighted India’s full compliance with the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and the country’s move toward “TFA Plus” measures under the National Trade Facilitation Action Plan (NTFAP 3.0), which aim to go beyond minimum commitments and align procedures with evolving global best practices. The statement noted that India has notified 100 percent of its TFA commitments within the stipulated timelines.
During the trade facilitation session, the Indian Customs delegation outlined a “whole-of-government” approach to reforms and showcased efforts to create a faceless, contactless and paperless customs environment through digitalisation and process re-engineering. The CBIC demonstrated indigenously developed systems including a comprehensive customs automated system with a single-window interface, a robust risk management system (RMS) and the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme.
The capacity-building session emphasised India’s role in sharing expertise with developing and least-developed countries, especially from the Global South. The National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes & Narcotics (NACIN) and the Central Revenue Control Laboratory (CRCL) were highlighted for their training work; both are recognised by the World Customs Organization as the Regional Training Centre for Asia‑Pacific and the Regional Customs Laboratory, respectively.
Since 2022, NACIN has conducted 65 training programmes attended by more than 1,800 international participants from roughly 30 countries, while CRCL has trained over 300 international participants. Many programmes were delivered in collaboration with international organisations such as the WCO and the Asian Development Bank.
Special Secretary and Member (Customs) Surjit Bhujabal said India’s decade-long push to digitise and modernise customs procedures has helped expand trade and deepen integration into global value chains, noting that the digital customs ecosystem links traders, customs authorities, banks and logistics operators to enable electronic processing, lower transaction costs and faster clearance times. The sessions underscored India’s readiness to partner with other countries to strengthen capacity for implementing TFA commitments.
Original Source: https://theshillongtimes.com/2026/02/26/india-highlights-latest-customs-reforms-at-geneva-meet/
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Publish Date: 2026-02-26 15:34:00
