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Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs have, by a joint press release, announced that the upgraded SWIFT 2.0 interface is now operational on a pilot basis.
This move fuses food-safety oversight with customs control, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs j The upgrade embeds FSSAI's Food Import Clearance System (FICS) directly into CBIC's ICEGATE portal, replacing the lighter SWIFT 1.0 handshake with a real-time, two-way data conduit. The objective is unambiguous: compress regulatory clearance time, eliminate duplicative filings and give legal effect to the Government's "Ease of Doing Business" and "Digital India" commitments.
The pilot phase is confined to four high-volume inland container depots—Dadri (INDER6), Star Track (INSTT6), Albatross (INAPL6) and Patparganj (INPPG6). These locations were selected after analysing cargo density, existing digital infrastructure and the presence of accredited laboratories, thereby ensuring that any systemic bottleneck is identified early without disrupting the larger import ecosystem.
According to the release, importers can obtain the FSSAI No-Objection Certificate directly through the SWIFT portal, eliminating the need for a parallel application. The single-window design is intended to reduce human interface, shorten cargo dwell time and lower the cost of doing business while maintaining transparency and accountability.
Upon successful validation, the system will be rolled out to all major food-import entry points across the country. The Authority reiterates its commitment to efficient, transparent and secure food-import processes and to strengthening India's food-safety ecosystem through technology-driven clearance.
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