Union MoS Pankaj Chaudhary Inaugurates Trade Facilitation Conference 2025 to Promote Scientific Excellence in Customs Infrastructure.
National
In July 2025, Union Minister of State (MoS) for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary inaugurated the Trade Facilitation Conference 2025 at the C. Subramaniam Auditorium, ICAR-NASC Campus, New Delhi. Organized by the Central Revenues Control Laboratory (CRCL) under CBIC, the event aimed at enhancing customs infrastructure, trade efficiency, and laboratory modernization.
- The Trade Facilitation Conference 2025 was organized under the theme “Scientific Excellence for Seamless Trade” by the Central Revenues Control Laboratory (CRCL), functioning under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), Ministry of Finance (MoF). It was held at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)’s National Agricultural Science Complex (NASC), Pusa, New Delhi.
- Union MoS Pankaj Chaudhary presided over the inauguration, with key dignitaries including Vivek Ranjan, Member (Tax Policy & Legal), CBIC, and Surjit Bhujabal, Member (Customs), CBIC. The conference served as a high-level platform to discuss policy strategies for modernizing trade-related laboratory functions, standardizing procedures, and strengthening regulatory cooperation.
- The event focused on strengthening India’s trade facilitation ecosystem by reducing testing delays, upgrading laboratory infrastructure, and enhancing Research & Development (R&D) capabilities. The CRCL also aims to expand its lab network across ports and entry points, improving customs efficiency through scientific and technical excellence.
Main Point :- (i) The conference also emphasized skill development and capacity building through technical training and stakeholder collaboration. A special stakeholder core group was proposed to enhance cross-institutional coordination, improve sampling procedures, and boost data-driven trade diagnostics for petroleum, chemicals, and allied products.
(ii) As part of the conference, a documentary titled “Science at the Border: The Story of Indian Customs Laboratories” was launched, detailing CRCL’s journey since its establishment in 1912.
(iii) Additionally, a CRCL Coffee Table Book and Brochure were released, along with a video on Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for sampling petroleum liquids.
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