The Cabinet today approved a restructuring plan for the customs and excise department under which the total staff strength would be reduced by 3,600 from the present level of 58,000. At the same time, the number of commisionerates and divisions will be increased to enhance revenue collections by 5 per cent.
Aimed at making the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) a more productive organisation, the government has decided to increase the number of excise commissionerates from 59 to 92, while the number of its divisions will be raised from 330 to 460, Mahajan said.
Similarly, the customs department will now have 35 commissionerates instead of the 25 at present, he said.
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To clear the backlog of 38,000 cases of customs, an additional 54 posts of commissioner (appeals) will be created, he said.