As work from home for information technology (IT) firms gets increasingly feasible, the industry and the government worked together to remove a practical hurdle that required the industry to get Customs approval physically, in addition to an online clearance, in record time. The Customs clearance required for moving equipment like laptops, desktops, etc out of Special Economic Zone (SEZ) units was delaying things as the clearance had to be taken in person after a first level of approval online.
The director general of export promotion under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs worked with IT services body National Association of Software and Service Companies and other industry players to allow online approvals for such movement. The Foreign Trade Policy (2015-20) allows authorised employees of software technology park (STP) units to work from a place outside the unit, and they are allowed to temporarily take laptop or computers and video projection systems out of the STP unit.
The Software Technology Parks of India allow for this approval online, but Customs clearance required one to physically take approval. Given the current situation with the ongoing pandemic, and the government announcing a complete lockdown, taking clearances from the Customs department for movement of each piece of equipment was going to be cumbersome. The Customs authorities took prompt action once alerted to the issue, and resolved it within two days.