ICEDASH and ATITHI | 05 Nov 2019
Why in News
The Ministry of Finance has launched two Information Technology (IT) initiatives - ICEDASH and ATITHI.
- ICEDASH- For improved monitoring of customs clearance of imported goods.
- ATITHI - For facilitating arriving international passengers.
- Both the initiatives have been developed by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).
ICEDASH
- It is an Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) monitoring dashboard of the Indian Customs that will help public see the daily customs clearance times of import cargo at various ports and airports.
- It will help the businesses in comparing clearance times across ports and thus plan their logistics accordingly.
- It has been developed in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
ATITHI
- It is an easy to use mobile app for international travelers to file the Customs declaration in advance.
- Passengers can use this app to file declaration of dutiable items and currency with the Indian Customs even before boarding the flight to India.
- It would encourage tourism and business travel to India.
Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs
- CBIC is a part of the Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance.
- It deals with the tasks of formulation of policy concerning levy and collection of Customs, Central Excise duties, Central Goods & Services Tax, Integrated GST (IGST) and prevention of smuggling.
National Informatics Centre
- NIC of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology provides network backbone and e-Governance support to the Central Government, State Governments and UT Administrations.
- It was established in 1976 and is located in New Delhi.