Parliament Question: Single digital clearance system at Konkan ports for food consignments

GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE RAJYASABHA UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 3665 TO BE ANSWERED ON24th MARCH, 2026 SINGLE DIGITALCLEARANCE SYSTEM AT KONKAN PORTS FOR FOOD CONSIGNMENTS 3665# SHRI DHAIRYASHILMOHAN PATIL: Will the Ministerof HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFAREbe pleasedtostate: (a)whether the proposed integrated digitalwindow for food consignment approvalwill be implementedat majorportsinthe Konkan regionby April 2026; (b) whether thiswill likelyreduce logistics costs anddwell time for exportersinthe region; (c)whether anypilot project isproposed inthe coastal districts of Maharashtra; and (d) the likelybenefitsonconsumer supply chainandease of doingbusiness inKonkan? ANSWER THE MINISTEROFSTATE IN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRIPRATAPRAO JADHAV) (a) to (d): Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is mandated to lay down science based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption. The implementation and enforcement of the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006isa shared responsibility between the Central andStateGovernments. FSSAI and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) have completely integrated all point of entries across the country includingKonkan region and Maharashtra with the Food Import Clearance System (FICS) of FSSAI and Indian Customs Electronic Data Interchange Gateway (ICEGATE) of CBIC by enabling the Single Sign-On (SSO) feature for Customs Officers to operate seamlessly in the FICS platform.Digital integration through both Single Sign-On (SSO) and Single Window Interface for Facilitating Trade (SWIFT2.0) hasbeen done at all notified ports inIndia for import for food items. This upgraded integration enhances the digital ecosystem for food import clearance and supports the Government's vision of Ease of Doing Business and the initiative improves transparency, reduces human interface, and helps lower cargo dwell time,contributingto faster andmore efficienttrade facilitation. *****