New Delhi: The government on Tuesday said that electronic processing of import and export through personal carriage by air passengers at select airports will begin from May 1. 

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), under the Department of Revenue, has introduced electronic processing of Bill of Entry/ Shipping Bill pertaining to gems and jewellery/samples/prototypes through personal carriage by air passengers from May 1 onwards at specified airports.

"The export/import through personal carriage shall be subject to the provisions of Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2023 and Handbook of Procedures (HBP), 2023," the Ministry of Finance said in a statement.

The facility of personal carriage will be available, for export of gems and jewellery in the nine airports (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Kochi, Coimbatore, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Jaipur) "specified in para 4.87 of HBP and for import of gems" and jewellery in the seven airports (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Jaipur) "specified in para 4.88 of HBP".

In case of samples/prototypes of machinery, the facility is initially being made available in Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai airports, the ministry said.

"The harmonised procedure and electronic processing will promote ease of doing business for such mode of transaction, especially for gems and jewellery and high-end manufacturing," it added.

Recently, the CBIC introduced key relaxations for Customs Cargo Service Providers to promote ease of doing business and cut logistics cost in order to facilitate global trade. The key relaxations included a reduction in the number of days for insurance of stored goods.

Customs Cargo Service Providers (CCSPs) were required to insure goods stored in Customs areas for a period of 10 days in terms of Handling of Cargo in Customs Areas Regulations, 2009. It has now been decided to reduce it to 5 days as a trade facilitation measure. This will enhance the cash flow for the entities by reducing the cost.

The CBIC’s efforts are expected to reduce logistics costs, improve operational efficiency, and enhance India’s position as a competitive player in global trade, in line with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan's goals of improving logistics infrastructure and efficiency in global trade to promote sustainable development. (IANS)