10-Feb-2023: MeitY issued orders to ban 138 online betting platforms and 94 money lending apps

The Indian government has instructed the blocking of 138 online betting platforms and 94 money lending apps due to alleged links to China and containing content that is "prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India."

Many of these apps have been the subject of complaints of extortion and harassment, as borrowers were charged exorbitant interest rates for small loans over the past three years.

Section 69A

Section 69A of the Information Technology Act of 2000 has become a hotly debated topic in recent years. It is a provision that allows the government to block websites and social media content that it deems objectionable. This provision was first introduced in 2008 and has been used multiple times to censor content on the internet.

Section 69A of the IT Act empowers the government to block public access to any online information that is deemed to be a threat to the country's sovereignty, integrity, defense, security, and public order. The provision allows the government to order intermediaries, such as internet service providers, to remove or block access to content that it deems offensive, without the need for a court order. The government can also order intermediaries to preserve electronic records related to the content that has been removed or blocked.

5-Dec-2022: Union Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurates DRI’s 65th Founding Day Celebrations

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), the apex anti-smuggling intelligence and investigation agency functioning under the aegis of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), celebrated its 65th Foundation Day at New Delhi.

The celebration commenced with Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurating the function here today, in the presence of Union Minister of State for Finance Shri Pankaj Chaudhary. Revenue Secretary, Shri Sanjay Malhotra; Chairman-CBIC, Shri Vivek Johri; and Members of the Board were present during the occasion along with Director General, DRI, Shri Mohan Kumar Singh. The function was attended by former Chairpersons and Members of CBIC, senior officers including ex-DGs of DRI. The event was physically attended by about 400 participants and was also streamed live through a digital platform with participation of hundreds of attendees from DRI, CBIC, International Organisations and other officers of Government of India.

The Union Minister for Finance also released the “Smuggling in India Report 2021-22” (https://dri.nic.in/writereaddata/smuggling_in_india_report_2021_2022.pdf) which analyses trends such as Smuggling of Gold, Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, wildlife etc., Commercial Frauds and International enforcement operations & cooperation. DG DRI, Shri M K Singh welcomed the dignitaries and presented a report on DRI’s performance in the previous financial year.

Smt. Sitharaman congratulated DRI and its officers on their performance and commendable service. The Finance Minister lauded the professional excellence of DRI and its officers and said that DRI has improved their benchmark each year to achieve better goals. The Finance Minister said that exemplary performance of DRI has further raised the benchmark for other enforcement agencies. The Finance Minister further said that she is closely monitoring the detection of smuggling in India; particularly of drugs and gold.

Smt. Sitharaman appreciated that DRI destroyed more than 44,000 kg drugs during the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav in 14 destinations in the country and said that it is an exceptional show of performance and strength of DRI. The Finance Minister further stated that the aim now should be to bring the NDPS cases to their logical conclusion by apprehending the main handlers and perpetrators/financer in these cases. The Finance Minister further emphasised the need to enhance technology adoption, working on patterns, data analysis to be ahead of the smugglers and their modus operandi to counter the menace of gold and NDPS smuggling. She also emphasised on keeping strict vigil to prevent infiltration of data by adverse players.

On this occasion, the ‘DRI Bravery Award for the year, 2022’ was bestowed upon Ms. Mishal Queenie D’Costa, Deputy Director, DRI, Mumbai Zonal Unit and Shri Bipul Biswas, Senior Intelligence Officer, DRI, Kolkata Zonal Unit for their exemplary act of bravery.

On this occasion, DRI ‘Utkrisht Seva Samman, 2022’ was awarded to Sh. R. Gopalnathan, an officer of the 1964 batch of the Indian Revenue Service (Customs & Central Excise) for his distinguished and committed service.

The function was also graced by Union Minister of State for Finance, Shri Pankaj Chaudhary who addressed the gathering on the occasion. Hon’ble MoS appreciated that DRI has distinguished itself as a very effective Enforcement Agency despite being small in size. Shri Chaudhary also mentioned some major NDPS seizures in the recent past and congratulated the professionalism of DRI in these cases. Hon’ble MoS also raised concerns on the smuggling of drugs and its effect on the youth. He emphasized on no tolerance policy in the NDPS cases.

In his address, Revenue Secretary Shri Sanjay Malhotra congratulated DRI on the 65th Foundation day and said that DRI has had a very long and distinguished record during these 65 years and wished DRI well to combat the challenges in the coming years.

The Founding Day celebrations were also followed by 8th Regional Customs Enforcement Meeting (RCEM) for effectively engaging with partner Customs organizations and International agencies like World Customs Organization, UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The inaugural function concluded with the ‘Vote of Thanks’ by Sh. Abhai Kumar Srivastav, Pr. ADG, DRI, Delhi Zonal Unit.

4-Dec-2020: WCO participates in Celebrations marking the 63rd Founding Day of India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence

At the invitation of India’s Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), the WCO Secretary General, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, attended celebrations marking the 63rd Founding Day of its Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), held virtually on 4 December 2020.

In his inaugural address, Secretary General Mikuriya recalled the strategic cooperation developed between the WCO and the DRI over the years, encompassing the launch of several WCO initiatives and the DRI’s contribution to many WCO-coordinated international operations targeting a wide range of illicit trafficking.  He expressed his thanks to India for its enduring support of the WCO's efforts in sharing information and intelligence as well as in using technology.  Dr. Mikuriya hoped the DRI would continue to play a leadership role in showcasing intelligence in Customs.

In her speech, the Honourable Finance Minister, Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman, shared her appreciation for the hard work by the DRI’s staff to combat revenue fraud and illicit trade through information sharing and intelligence.  She encouraged the DRI to continue cooperating with the WCO in the interests of the entire world.

3-Dec-2020: DRI to mark its 63rd Founding Day Celebrations

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) is celebrating its 63rd Founding Day on Friday, the 4th of December, 2020. In view of the COVID-19 pandemic and the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Home Affairs, this time the celebration will be done virtually on a digital platform in the presence of the Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman along with the Union Minister of State for Finance & Corporate Affairs Shri Anurag Singh Thakur.

As part of this year’s Founding Day celebrations, a panel discussion on Trade Based Money Laundering is also been organised through video conferencing with the representatives from Australian Border Force, HM Revenue and Customs, Customs Administration of the Netherlands and INTERPOL as panelists.

About DRI

For more than six decades, DRI with its presence across India and abroad has been carrying out its mandate of countering organised crime groups engaged in smuggling of contraband goods such as arms, ammunitions & explosives, narcotic drugs & psychotropic substances, gold & diamonds, counterfeit currency notes, wildlife items, hazardous & environmentally sensitive materials and antiques. DRI also has expertise in unearthing commercial frauds, plugging leakage of Government’s tax revenue and countering trade based money laundering and black money. In addition, DRI has been at the forefront in international Customs collaborations and has Customs Mutual Assistance Agreements with over 60 countries, where thrust is on information exchange and learning from the best practices between Customs administrations.

DRI has made its presence felt over the financial year 2019- 20. The Organisation demonstrated prompt action in detection of 412 cases of Smuggling resulting in seizure of contraband worth Rs 1,949 crore. Through Risk Assessment Techniques and Data Analytics DRI was able to unearth 761 complex cases of Customs involving duty evasion of amount Rs 2,183 crore. DRI has been on the forefront of Nation’s fight against the trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. In a swift action the Team DRI busted two factories manufacturing ephedrine in Maharashtra. In its earnest efforts to preserve the natural habitat and the wildlife, the Directorate besides intercepting consignments of live animals and birds has struck fear among the smugglers of Red Sanders, of which a large quantity of 174.5 metric tonnes was seized. As part of its endeavour to preserve and promote public health, DRI made a number of seizures of smuggled Cigarettes valued at Rs 77 crore, detected and prevented smuggling of areca nut and E-wastes. During the financial year DRI arrested 837 economic offenders thus denting the mafia network. The Directorate has significantly contributed to the cause of national security by ensuring interception of dual purpose technology goods.

This year, despite the Covid-19 pandemic situation, the officers of DRI worked tirelessly and made some significant seizures. The indomitable spirit of the personnel of DRI has got reflected in their courageous actions against smugglers even at the risk of their own life. In November 2020, officers of DRI intercepted 2 trucks and seized 66.4 kg Gold valued at Rs 35 crore which was smuggled into India through Indo-Myanmar border. In another case booked in August this year, officers of DRI seized 83.62 kg Gold valued at Rs. 42.89 crore from eight passengers who were travelling from Dibrugarh to New Delhi. In a three-day long operation codenamed operation ‘Calypso’, DRI busted an international drug smuggling racket with the seizure of 3.3 kg of cocaine.