29 July 2022 | Focus State: Karnataka

With the objective to sensitize the police officers of Karnataka on the socio-economic evils of illicit trade, which are risky parasites to the economy and cause danger to the lives of individuals, FICCI CASCADE organized a “Capacity Building Programme for Police Officers on Prevention of Counterfeiting and Smuggling” on 29th July 2022 at Karnataka Police Academy, Mysuru.

Shri Anupam Agarwal, Director, Karnataka Police Academy was the chief guest at the programme. Addressing the programme, Mr Agarwal stated that to meet the vision of our Hon’ble PM of making Indian economy, a US$ 5 trillion economy, all stakeholders like FICCI, Police and industry needs to work together more closely.

He accentuated that counterfeiting and smuggling has developed a substantial threat to the economy and there is conclusive evidence of the increasing involvement of terror organizations in funding such illicit trade activities. There are adequate laws available, but enforcement of the laws makes the role of police officers even more important in the fight against counterfeiters and smugglers, he added.

Mr Agarwal said that the loss of revenue to the government due to counterfeiting and smuggling has a direct impact on spending on welfare measures such as health care and education. “Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency in our country and should play a significant role in ensuring that proactive and collaborative actions are taken against illicit players to protect the consumer’s health, life and safety,” he added.

While giving an overview on Socio-Economic Impact of Counterfeiting and Smuggling, Mr Deep Chand, Advisor, FICCI CASCADE and Former Special Commissioner of Police, New Delhi highlighted that lack of stringent enforcement, weak surveillance and weak regulatory framework are the main factors responsible for illicit trade. He said that the wider social, investment and criminal enforcement costs due to smuggling and counterfeiting could touch $ 4.2 trillion by 2022, putting at risk 5.4 million legitimate jobs.

Mr Pradeep Dixit, Vice President – Industry Affairs, ITC Ltd. stated that smuggling and counterfeiting expands black markets and encourages a convergence between organized crime, terrorist groups and other threat networks. Mr. Dixit opined that India is the 4th largest and fastest growing market for smuggling of illegal cigarettes, which calls for heightened awareness and sensitization of people in the society.

Mr Nitin Saluja, Senior Policy Manager, Customer Trust, Amazon India stated that Amazon has introduced several initiatives and have put in resources to help customers enjoy the benefits of online shopping. He mentioned that our focus is to make Amazon marketplace a reliable and safe for customers, brands, and sellers to conduct transactions. He highlighted that Amazon focuses on mitigating fraud and abuse on marketplaces that hamper customer trust while protecting them from the risks, the digital era may present.

Mr. Ashish Sawant, Assistant Manager, Global Brand Protection, APAC Region, Johnson & Johnson emphasized that counterfeiting and smuggling is a global problem of enormous scale, impacting every industry sector around the world. India is no exception, as it has an impact on our citizens’ economy, health, and safety. He mentioned that at JNJ we endeavour to protect our patients and consumers from the health risk caused by such inferior quality, and hazardous products and medicines. In the pledge to protect our consumers, JNJ has partnered with the FICCI and law enforcement agencies to curb illicit trade.

FICCI CASCADE has been regularly engaging with law enforcement agencies, including police, customs and paramilitary organizations engaged in border protection, in sensitizing them on the gravity of the problem.