Overview
- Speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, Nirmala Sitharaman identified customs reform as her next major assignment ahead of the Budget.
- She said the system will become fully faceless with automated decision-making to remove officer discretion and reduce harassment of legitimate trade.
- She flagged stronger risk-based checks to curb illicit contraband while seeking to avoid new friction for compliant importers and exporters.
- She noted customs duties have been trimmed over the past two years and said some high slabs will have to come down as part of a rationalised structure.
- She framed the revamp as a well-signalled structural reform rather than a Budget-day surprise, adding that groundwork is already underway and detailed measures are yet to be unveiled.