The 60th Annual General Meeting of the Federation of Freight Forwarders’ Associations in India (FFFAI), which was held on September 29, 2023 in Mumbai (coinciding with concluding the Diamond Jubilee celebration year) completed with an encouraging address from Arjun Ram Meghwal, Hon’ble Minister of State, Ministry of Law and Justice (Independent Charge) Government of India.
He emphasised on the recently passed Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2023 with an objective to facilitate Ease of Living and Ease of Doing Business. He invited FFFAI representation suggesting those legal barriers/laws hindering the smooth logistics operations and increasing logistics costs. “We have to fulfil the vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India to reach the target of a $5 trillion economy by 2025 and to be a developed nation by 2047”, the Hon’ble Minister said.
It is pertinent to mention that through the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2023, a total of 183 provisions are being proposed to be decriminalised in 42 Central Acts administered by 19 Ministries/Departments. Decriminalisation is proposed to be achieved in the following manner:-
For effective implementation of the above, the bill proposes measures such as (a) pragmatic revision of fines and penalties commensurate to the offence committed; (b) establishment of Adjudicating Officers; (c) establishment of Appellate Authorities; and (d) Periodic increase in quantum of fine and penalties. It is also ensured that the degree and nature of punishment is commensurate with the severity of the offence.
The AGM and the hybrid session was attended by all FFFAI Office Bearers, Executive Committee Members and a large number of members from 30 Member Locations across India.
