Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC) and COVID response plan (CRP)
CBIC put in place a COVID Response Plan (CRP) for speedy clearances of COVID-19 vaccines at all major airports.
The CRP has been put in place for the efficient and expeditious release of temperature-sensitive vaccines that are a critical requirement in the fight against the covid pandemic.
The CRP provides for the setting up of a COVID-19 Vaccine Response Team (CVRT) at each Air Cargo/Courier Terminal.
The CVRT will function as a single point of contact for all the clearance related to COVID-19 vaccine shipments and coordinate among the concerned stakeholders to ensure that vaccines are given instant delivery upon arrival.
For this, the CVRT will develop an SoP (covering Customs, local PGA and other stakeholders) and sensitize traders on the requirements for instant release of vaccines.
Additionally, CBIC has enabled the import/export of vaccines in relation to COVID-19 through Courier, by issuing the Courier Imports and Exports (Electronic Declaration and Processing) Amendment Regulations, 2020.
The Courier Regulations earlier had certain limits on the value of goods that could be brought in through courier, whereas the amended regulations allow the import and export of COVID vaccines through courier without any value limit.
CBIC would closely monitor the vaccine logistics to ensure their seamless movement at the borders and address any challenges that may arise in this regard.