Page 50 - ELT_1st July 2020_Vol 373_Part 1

C.B.I. & C. Unveils E-office App
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (C.B.I. & C.) on 15-6-
2020 launched an e-office App that will digitise internal office procedures, doing
away with manual handling of files related to Central Goods and Services Tax
(CGST) as well as Customs. The App, launched by C.B.I. & C. Chairman Ajit
Kumar in over 500 CGST and Customs offices across India, is part of the IT-led
reforms for improving efficiency and transparency. C.B.I. & C. said the App will
ensure speedier decision-making, transparency, accountability and faster dispos-
al of cases, while enabling enhanced security as no file or document can be al-
tered or destroyed or back-dated.
[Source : The Economic Times, New Delhi, dated 16-6-2020]
Faster initiation of Anti-dumping probes on China imports
soon — Bid to shield local Companies from unfair trade
practices
India will respond faster to complaints about dumping of Chinese goods,
as the country looks to stimulate local production and reduce dependence on
imports. The Commerce and Industry Ministry plans to reduce the time taken to
initiate Anti-dumping cases by a few days, from around 30 days now.
This is chiefly aimed at protecting domestic companies from unfair trade
practices. “Almost half of our Anti-dumping cases are against China and imports
from them do major damage...our response time will be short,” said an official.
The Government usually responds within a month and has, in some cases, even
done so within two weeks.
“The endeavour is to reduce it further. These measures are used to coun-
ter unfair trade practices and structural changes have led to a reduced response
time,” the official added. In fact, the average number of days taken to initiate
Anti-dumping investigations came down to 32 in 2019 from 259 days in 2016.
The COVID-19 pandemic this year has, however, led to data gaps, with
domestic manufacturers unable to access the detailed information required to
challenge cheap Chinese imports before the Directorate General of Trade Reme-
dies (DGTR), a quasi-judicial body which recommends such measures. The Fi-
nance Ministry takes a final call on imposing the same.
DGTR, which comes under the Commerce and Industry Ministry, is in-
vestigating around 35 cases of dumping from China across products including

( A24 )
EXCISE LAW TIMES  1st July 2020  50