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'Illicit trade a major roadblock in economic growth'
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IANS | 10 Jan, 2023
Amarjeet Bhagat, Minister of Food, Civil Supply and Consumer Protection,
Planning Economic and Statistics, Culture, Chhattisgarh government has
said that the rapid growth of technology has led to a drastic increase
in economic crimes and cybercrimes.
He added that
illicit trade activities are the major barriers in the path of economic
growth of the country. Over the years, the government has initiated
several mechanisms to ensure consumer safety and check unfair trade
practices, there is an urgent need for increased consumer awareness to
tackle this problem, he stated.
Addressing the FICCI CASCADE
(Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying
the Economy) programme on 'Preventive Strategies to Combat
Counterfeiting and Smuggling', Bhagat said that consumers must
understand the multi-faceted complexities of this menace. He further
urged FICCI CASCADE to frequently organise such awareness programmes to
make the public aware of the importance of effectively tackling
counterfeiting and smuggling.
Topeshwar Verma, Secretary,
Department of Food, Civil Supply and Consumer Protection, Technical
Education and Employment, Government of Chhattisgarh said, "Illicit
activities such as smuggling and counterfeiting are global problems of
enormous scale, impacting all stakeholders such as consumers, industry,
government and society as a whole."
He urged all stakeholders to
join hands to collectively fight the menace of illicit trade. Verma
emphasized on the need to take a bill on every purchase, as it acts as
evidence of transaction.
P.C. Jha, Advisor, FICCI CASCADE and
Former Chairman, Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs said,
"Illicit trade is of grave concern, it undermines the nation's economy,
damages brand integrity, and most importantly affects health and safety
of the citizens which needs to be addressed on an urgent basis. During
the last 20 years, the volume of counterfeiting activity globally has
increased 100 times and the size of trade is 10 per cent of the legal
international trade (around 2 per cent of the world's overall economic
output). The problem of illicit trade is much more serious than it is
commonly perceived."
Abhijit Pati, Chairman, FICCI Chhattisgarh
State Council and CEO & Director BALCO (Vedanta Group) said, "In the
past ten years the magnitude of illicit trade has grown from USD 650
billion to about USD 3 trillion, representing 10 per cent of the global
trade and rightly been termed as the crime of the 21st century by the
FBI." There is a need for concerted effort by all stakeholders to ensure
that an effective and workable deterrence is created, added.
The
Minister also felicitated the students for the inter-school/college
competition organised on Monday by FICCI CASCADE on the theme 'Role of
Youth in Making India Free from Smuggling & Counterfeiting'. The
competition witnessed enthusiastic participation of over 450 students
from various educational institutions of Chhattisgarh.
The
seminar discussed the importance of increased awareness on the hazards
of counterfeiting and smuggling, and the need for effective enforcement
to enhance India's economic development.
The market for
contraband and smuggled goods is thriving in India and is today one of
the biggest challenges faced by the Indian industry. The country is
witnessing widespread smuggling in various product categories such as
gold, cigarettes, cosmetics, medicines, jewellery, readymade garments,
alcohol, capital goods and consumer electronics, which is severely
hurting the country's economy. The smugglers use states like
Chhattisgarh to transit illicit goods from northeastern and coastal
states to the rest of the Indian market.
FICCI has set up a
committee CASCADE, with the participation of leading industries from all
sectors of the economy to raise awareness against this issue and work
with government and other agencies to fight the menace.
The
seminar also deliberated on FICCI CASCADE's recent report titled
'Illicit Markets: A Threat to Our National Interests', which examines
the impact of illicit trade in five key industries in India -- Mobile
Phones, FMCG-Household and Personal Goods, FMCG-Packaged Foods, Tobacco
Products, and Alcoholic Beverages.
According to the report, the
size of illicit market in the above-mentioned industries was Rs
2,60,094 crore for the year 2019-20, with the FMCG industry -- household
and personal goods, and packaged foods -- together accounting for 3/4th
of the total illicit value of goods in five key industries.
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