- Customs Commissionerate, Indore in Bhopal Zone destroyed 40.86 lakh sticks of smuggled foreign origin cigarettes, cigars, and rolling paper valued at Rs. 3.89 crores at Raipur.
- The seizure was part of a drive against illegal import of foreign origin cigarettes and other contrabands into India.
- The seized goods did not comply with the provisions of the Indian Customs Act, 1962, "The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Rules, 2008," and Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules 2011.
- The seized items included cigarettes, cigars, and rolling papers of various foreign brands like Paris, Gudang Garam, Dunhill, smuggled through mis-declaration.
- The cigarettes did not have mandatory pictorial health warnings as per the Notifications issued by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare under the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 (COTPA, 2003).
- These smuggled products are cheaper for consumers due to the evasion of customs duties and GST.
- The disposal of seized goods was carried out through destruction as per prescribed guidelines with the help of Central CGST officers, Raipur, customs officials, and DRI officials.
Current Affairs on 28 February, 2024