Govt allows import/export of COVID-19 vaccine without any value limitation

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has amended the regulations to facilitate the import/export of Covid-19 vaccines through courier, at locations where the Express Cargo Clearance System (ECCS) is operational.

PTI
January 01, 2021 / 01:49 PM IST

The government has allowed import and export of Covid-19 vaccines without any value limitation, in order to ensure speedy clearance and distribution.

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has amended the regulations to facilitate the import/export of Covid-19 vaccines through courier, at locations where the Express Cargo Clearance System (ECCS) is operational.

"Imports of and exports of vaccines in relation to Covid-19 has been allowed without any value limitation," said the amended Courier Imports and Exports (Electronic Declaration and Processing) Amendment Regulations, 2020.

The CBIC said that Covid-19 has posed unprecedented challenges to Customs and other administrations the world over and efficient clearance and distribution of vaccines would be a critical requirement in the collective fight against the pandemic.

"The challenges in doing so is heightened by the fact that the vaccines need to be stored and transported under controlled temperatures and there are multiple stakeholders involved in this process. This necessitates putting in place efficient cross-border procedures for speedy evacuation of the vaccines," the CBIC said.

Close

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

View more
How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

View more
Show

Related stories

The regulation further states that since the vaccines will be imported in durable containers equipped with the requisite temperature monitoring and tracking devices, the export of the durable container including accessories thereof, imported in relation to Covid-19 vaccines has also been permitted.

"Importers may be advised to indicate the unique identifier of the container and the accessories during import in the Courier Bill of Entry (CBE-V) and also at the time of re-export in the Courier Shipping Bill (CSB IV) for facilitating clearance," it added.

The CBIC, in a letter to field offices, said since multiple stakeholders will be involved in the process of clearance of the vaccines, effective coordination among the stakeholders would be necessary.

It also asked for setting up of a task force, headed by a Joint/ Additional Commissioner of Customs rank officer and comprising relevant stakeholders, for a coordinated approach for efficient clearance of vaccines relating to Covid-19.

AMRG & Associates Senior Partner Rajat Mohan said global pharmaceutical companies are in advanced stages of bulk deployment of Covid-19 vaccines.

"Eyeing global logistics and custom clearance challenges, the government has made some changes in Courier Imports and Exports Regulations, which includes permission to import and export of Covid-19 vaccines without any value limitation," Mohan added.
PTI
TAGS: #coronavirus #Current Affairs #India
first published: Jan 1, 2021 01:49 pm