‘In Conversation with Prof. Bejon Kumar Misra, Founder, Consumer Online Foundation’
Illicit trade in terms of counterfeiting and smuggling make up a vast ‘global businesses’, representing a multibillion-dollar illegal industry that creates a significant drain on the world economy. FICCI’s Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy (CASCADE) on March 9, 2022 organized an ‘In Conversation with Prof. Bejon Kumar Misra, Founder, Consumer Online Foundation’ to discuss the role of consumers and consumer protection organizations in dealing with illicit products, importance of Consumer Protection Act in safeguarding consumers and initiatives that can be taken to contain the menace of counterfeiting and smuggling.
“A strong consumer movement in an institutionalised manner with leadership from the government is the need of the hour to fight the menace of counterfeiting and smuggling” said Prof. Bejon Kumar Misra, Founder, Consumer Online Foundation. He further added that to fight the growing menace of illicit trade, consumers must be able to report immediately if they find a difference in the specified quality of the product. A platform must be created for the consumers where they can share their experiences of encountering a smuggled, fake, defective, or counterfeit product. He emphasized on the need to address the issue at the grassroot level & take immediate action against illicit traders.
Emphasizing on the role of consumers in the fight against illicit trade practices, Mr. Anil Rajput, Chairman, FICCI CASCADE said, “Consumers can encourage change through their choices and behaviour. By highlighting some of the key harms attached to counterfeit and smuggled goods, they can play an important role in raising awareness on just how risky purchasing these items can be both to themselves and to the wider community.”
“I strongly believe that apart from a policy framework that disincentivises such illicit activities along with aggressive enforcement against the criminals of this trade, sustained awareness campaigns for people and understanding demand behaviour are critical in this fight”, he added.
Mr. Hem Kumar Pande, Former Secretary, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Think Tank Member, FICCI CASCADE while moderating the session said “it is not only the responsibility of the consumers to be aware of the growing illicit trade. But it’s time to go beyond & spread awareness amongst sellers about the adverse impacts of smuggled & counterfeit products”. Mr. Pande said challenge is to unite consumers and voluntary consumer organisations can play an important role in bring them together.
FICCI CASCADE has been over the years working closely with government, industry, enforcement officials, legal fraternity, consumer organizations and the youth to create awareness on the adverse impact of counterfeiting and smuggling. FICCI CASCADE, in pursuance of its agenda, has been organizing series of multi-stakeholder dialogues to tackle this adversary and spread awareness about the socio-economic impact of counterfeiting and smuggling.
Watch the session at: Click here
Foreign currency, gold seized at city airport
Customs officials at the international airport here detected two cases of currency smuggling in the last three days and seized currency with a face value of ₹25.18 lakh from two passengers.
They seized 90,000 UAE Dirhams (₹17.77 lakh) from a passenger from Mangaluru while he was making an attempt to smuggle it out of the country to Dubai in person and in baggage by an Air India flight No IX 383 on Tuesday.
In another case on Sunday last, they seized US $10,000 (₹7.40 lakh) from a passenger from Kasaragod (Kerala) while he was attempting to smuggle it to Sharjah by an Indigo flight 6E 1417.
The officials registered two cases in this connection, Customs Mangaluru tweeted.
Lear MoreFake cigarette unit busted in Telangana, one held
HYDERABAD: Task Force sleuths have busted a duplicate cigarette manufacturing unit and arrested a person. Cops seized 500 sacks of tobacco and raw material, all worth 2 crore.
Acting on specific information provided by a cigarette manufacturing company executives, a Task Force team along with Sultan Bazar police raided Yousuf Supplying Company in Sultan Bazar and busted a duplicate cigarette making racket.
Police arrested, Md Siddiq, a representative of Yousuf Supplying Company, from Sultan Bazar. His associates Md Alam Khan, and Naser Alam Khan of Barkathpura were absconding. Police seized 500 bags of tobacco, each one weighing 25 kilos, 170 cartons of cigarette filters, more than 400 rolls of cigarette papers of various brands, six rolls of silver paper were seized.
Police said that the accused have been manufacturing duplicate cigarettes of various brands of a manufacturing company and selling them to retailers for profit. The accused was were produced before the court for judicial remand.
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RM324,000 unregistered pharmaceutical and cosmetic products seized
ALOR SETAR: The Health Ministry has seized RM324,200 worth of unregistered pharmaceutical and cosmetic products during separate raids in Kulim on Monday.
State Health Department director Dr Othman Warijo the ‘Ops Putra’ raid was carried out by the Pharmaceutical Enforcement branch following complaints from the public.
“The raids were carried out at two illegal stores and one business premises where we seized 10,122 bottles of unregistered pharmaceutical products and 882 boxes of cosmetics products without the Malaysian Drug Control Authority security logo.
“The raiding team also seized 4,779 bottles of products contaminated by poison and also a digital device,” he said in a statement.
Lear MoreOver 7 million cigarettes seized from smuggler in Greece
Greece: The cigarettes were being smuggled into European Union countries and the United Kingdom in over 5,000 yoghurt containers.
Greek authorities have seized more than seven million cigarettes being smuggled to EU countries and the United Kingdom, according to the shipping ministry.
The ministry said Saturday that officials of the Central Port Authority of Igoumenitsa in western Greece arrested a 64-year-old from an unnamed foreign country on charges of smuggling.
The authorities who seized his refrigerator truck on Friday found 7,198,200 cigarettes hidden in more than 5,000 containers of yoghurt.The sum of evaded custom duties and taxes for the confiscated goods amount to more than 1.5 million euros ($1.6 million).
“The confiscated quantity of smuggled cigarettes was to be distributed on the illegal markets of the European Union and the United Kingdom”, the ministry statement added, citing the analysis so far.
Lear MoreIn Conversation with Prof. (Dr.) Ashok R. Patil, Chair Professor and Chair on Consumer Law & Practice (Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Govt. of India), National Law School of India University
FICCI’s Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy organised an ‘In Conversation with Prof. (Dr.) Ashok R. Patil, Chair Professor and Chair on Consumer Law & Practice (Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Govt. of India), National Law School of India University on 3rd March 2022. It was organised as a precursor to the World Consumer Rights Day on 15th March 2022 to discuss the importance of Consumer Protection Act and the role of consumers in addressing the growing hazards of smuggling and counterfeiting across the nations.
Prof. (Dr.) Ashok R. Patil, Chair Professor and Chair on Consumer Law & Practice (Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Govt. of India), National Law School of India University said, “Consumers have the right to be informed about the purity, safety, quality of the product, right to seek redressal against unfair trade practice and the right to be aware”. He further added that creating public awareness, increasing surveillance, and coordination amongst industry, consumers, NGOs, government, and media can help counter the problem of counterfeiting and smuggling effectively.
He also informed that “The Central Consumer Protection Authority will change the scenario in India with its Suo moto & investigative powers which takes care of all the rights of the consumers with regards to unfair trade practices, false and misleading advertisements.”
Mr. P K Malhotra, Former Secretary, Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India and Think Tank Member, FICCI CASCADE in his welcome address said, “Counterfeit and smuggled goods are not only a threat to the country’s economy, but also bring serious harm to the consumers. Illicit products have infiltrated everyday avenues of commerce, making their way into supply chains, posing threat to individuals’ health and safety.” “While the Consumer Protection Act is a stepping-stone to regulate matters involving violation & enforcement of consumer rights, the consumers must also act responsibly & cautiously while making any purchase”, he added.
Mr. Hem Kumar Pande, Former Secretary, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Think Tank Member, FICCI CASCADE while moderating the session said, “Consumer awareness is of paramount importance and consumers should know their rights and duties. They need to stand united against the menace of counterfeit and smuggled goods”. Mr Pande emphasised on having a consumer movement in India against such serious crimes that are not only risking consumer’s health and safety but are also damaging the economy of the country”. He also stressed on having a dynamic policy and legal framework, quick consumer grievance redressal, mediation centres and aggressive campaigning to protect consumers against the menace of illicit trade”.
FICCI CASCADE, in pursuance of its agenda, has been organizing series of multi-stakeholder dialogues to tackle this adversary and spread awareness about the socio-economic impact of counterfeiting and smuggling.
Watch the session at: https://youtu.be/OWB3xCZLCB4
Pre-event Coverage reportDownload Pdf
Assam Rifles seizes foreign cigarettes worth over Rs 6 lakh at Champhai
AIZAWL: In yet another success in its crusade against smuggling activities, the Serchip Battalion of Headquarter of 23 Sector Assam Rifles under the aegis of Headquarters Inspector General Assam Rifles (East), recovered foreign-origin cigarettes worth Rs 6,05,800 in the general area RuantlangChamphai on Wednesday, stated a press release.
The operation was carried out by a team of 8 Assam Rifles, 2 Assam Rifles and 10 Assam Rifles, acting on specific information.
The seized cigarettes have been handed over to the Customs Department at Champhai for further legal proceedings. Ongoing smuggling of foreign-origin cigarettes is a major cause of concern for the state of Mizoram, especially along the India-Myanmar Border.
Assam Rifles, rightly christened as the ‘Sentinels of the Northeast’ have continued their efforts against the smuggling activities in Mizoram.
Lear MorePrivate tutor among 2 held with fake currency notes
Bhubaneswar: Police on Wednesday arrested two persons, including a private tutor, and seized fake Indian currency notes with a face value of Rs 7 lakh from them. The duo was involved in the printing and distribution of counterfeit notes in Kharavel Nagar.
They were identified by the police as S SatyanarayanPrusty (29) and Bhula Pradhan (28). Fake notes in Rs 200 denomination, cash printing materials and a laptop were seized from the accused.
“Prusty runs a private coaching centre for schoolchildren in his village. He wanted to become rich overnight so he came up with the idea of printing fake currency notes. He learnt the trick from YouTube and roped in his friend Pradhan, who owns a printing press in Ganjam, for the purpose,” a police officer said.
The police further said the accused circulated the fake notes among small shops in the Master Canteen area here.
They were also involved in several cheating cases and had duped unemployed youths by promising them jobs.
They had taken Rs 4.5 lakh from a man, identified as BismayHota, on the false promise of giving him a government job. They also cheated a businessman, Siba Ranjan Muduli, of Rs 20 lakh, the officer said.
“Youth for Socio-Economic Development – Paving the Way for India’s ‘Amrit Kaal’“: An Inter-School Online Painting Competition against Smuggling and Counterfeiting
FICCI CASCADE (Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy) collaborated with the Ministry of Consumer Affairs. Govt of India, to encourage the country’s youth to be a part in the socio-economic development of the nation by creating a youth movement against smuggling and counterfeiting. In this endeavor, FICCI CASCADE, jointly with the Ministry organized a painting competition, on the theme ‘Youth for Socio-Economic Development — Paving the Way for India’s Amrit Kaal’.
With the objective to generate awareness on the adverse impacts of smuggling and counterfeiting, especially among school children who are the consumers of tomorrow, this competition was organized as a run up to the World Consumer Rights Day celebrations by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs. This day, which is celebrated world over on 15th March stands in solidarity with the international consumer movement, demanding consumer rights to be respected and protected.
Mr Rohit Kumar Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Govt of India said, “Our future generations are the hope for real change, empowering and strengthening them to act for national development will help in shaping the future of our country in a brighter and more prosperous manner. World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated every year by our ministry to protect the rights of consumers and to ensure that the consumers are not subjected to market abuse or social injustice that may undermine their rights.”
Mr Anil Rajput, Chairman, FICCI CASCADE said, “The youth of India are the country’s future. As India marks 75 years of its glorious independence and enters into Amrit Kaal, the 25-year-long leadup to India@100, the youth will play a pivotal role in nation building and advocating socially responsible behavior towards the country’s development.”
On the occasion of the World Consumer Rights Day scores of schoolchildren from across the country demonstrated their resolve to put an end to smuggling by generating consumer awareness. The competition saw an overwhelming response and more than 400 entries were received. The young consumers of India shared their thoughts and ideas through innovative paintings, which depicted the harmful effects of counterfeit and smuggled goods on the country’s economy and its people. The winners of the top three paintings were awarded by Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey and Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
The jury members for the competition included Mr. P K Malhotra, Former Secretary, Ministry of Law and Justice, Mr. Hem Kumar Pande, Former Secretary, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Mr. Sanjeev Tripathi, Former Chief, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). Winners were awarded a certificate of recognition, along with a cash prize of Rs 50,000, Rs 25,000 and Rs 15,000, respectively.
The Winners
While the first prize was bagged by Ms. Chandrima Pan of Class X from Delhi’s St. George’s School, the second prize was won by Ms. Supriya Baital of Class XI from Birla Vidya Niketan School, New Delhi. The third position was shared by Mr. Sajal Jain of Class X from Agra Public School, Agra, and Ms. Aaira Katoch of Class IX from Gurugram’s Lotus Valley International School. All the participants were issued a certificate of participation.
Coverage reportDownload Pdf
Coverage reportDownload Pdf
Man jailed in Kolkata for smuggling fake currency notes
A special NIA court in the city sentenced a man on Monday to five years in jail for smuggling fake Indian currency notes, an official said.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 40,000 on Ketabul SK of Malda district in north Bengal after convicting him of the relevant offences under the Indian Penal Code, the official of the premier investigation agency said.
The case was originally registered in north Bengal’s Murshidabad district in July 2018 following the seizure of the fake currency notes with a face value of Rs 1,92,000, the official said.
The NIA had re-registered the case in August 2018 and filed chargesheets against three accused in October 2018 and December 2018, the official said.
Two accused were already convicted earlier in December 2021, the official added.
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