Structure of National Committee on Trade Facilitation

NCTF is a committee comprising representatives of different ministries, and the committee chairperson is the cabinet secretary. It has a three-tier structure with the following layers: 

• The main national committee is headed by the cabinet secretary, who will monitor the implementation of the provisions under TFA. 
• A steering committee jointly chaired by the Secretary (Revenue) and Secretary (Commerce) will be responsible for identifying the required legislative procedures and assessing the level of compliance with the trade facilitation provisions.
• The lower level comprises working groups of experts dealing with specific trade facilitation issues such as outreach, legislative changes, time release study, and infrastructure upgrading.

Trade facilitation refers to the procedures and controls by the government intending to improve the movement of goods across national borders. It takes care of the legitimate regulatory objectives of trade practices while reducing associated bottlenecks, optimizing cost involvement, and maximizing efficiency. 

National Committee on Trade Facilitation (NCTF) is an important institutional body for coordinating and controlling trade procedures with balanced private and public sector participation. It also enables the planning and implementation of necessary reforms for successful trade facilitation. The primary goal of trade facilitation is to help make imports and exports more streamlined, cost-effective, and reliable while complying with safety and legal norms.