The government will going to insert a Track and Trace Mechanism to monitor the complete supply chain of goods.
The system shall be based on a Unique Identification Marking which shall be affixed on the said goods or the packages thereof.
This will provide a legal framework for developing such a system and will help in implementation of mechanism for tracing specified commodities throughout the supply chain.
What is Unique Identification Marking?
Unique Identification Marking is a labeling system which provides critical details of the goods such as:
- contain issuer details,
- place of manufacturing,
- machine used for manufacturing,
- market for retail,
- shipping details (import).
Why Track and Trace Mechanism is applied?
Track and Trace Mechanism is already opted by countries like Europe, UK etc to stop smuggling & revenue leakage.
By implementing this system, these regions ensure the transparency of goods movement across the supply chain which help to monitor, verify the origin, transit, and sale of products.
In this specific countries this mechanism is used for cigarettes but in India it may also extent to PAN masala.
How it can be Tracked?
ID Issuer
In Europe, an ID issuer is responsible for providing Unique Identification Marking (UIM). In India, this role may be handled by an independent authority.
Manufacturer Request
First, manufacturers must request UIM from the ID issuer for every unit of the specified goods.
UIM Allocation
The ID issuer will provides a unique identifier (UIM) for each product unit, ensuring traceability.
Supply Chain Tracking
The UIM will travel along with the goods through the supply chain:
Manufacturer → Wholesaler → Distributor → Retailer
Each stage helps to track the movement and ownership of the goods.
Retailer’s Role
The retailer records and provides the necessary details of the specified products, including UIM, to the government for further monitoring.
Government Monitoring
The government uses the collected data to trace the entire supply chain, ensuring compliance, preventing smuggling, and detecting revenue leakage.
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