Senior bureaucrat Vivek Johri was appointed the chairman of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) on November 28, 2021. Johri succeeds current chairman of the CBIC Ajit Kumar who is completing his tenure tomorrow.

Key Points
• Vivek Johri is a 1985-batch Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Indirect Taxes) officer.
• He is currently working as the member in the CBIC, handling GST and tax policy.
• His appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet which is headed by the Prime Minister of India.
• The Chairperson of CBIC is equivalent to Secretary to Government of India
• He was appointed as tenure of former chairman M Ajit Kumar ends in the month of November 2021.

About Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC)
CBIC is the nodal national agency to administer GST, Customs, Central Excise, Service Tax & Narcotics in India. The Customs & Central Excise department was established by the then British Governor General of India in 1855 for administering customs laws and for collecting import duties or land revenue. CBIC is one of the oldest government departments in India.

Staffs of CBIC
CBIC is staffed by ministerial staff who are selected through Staff Selection Commission (SSC) exams and IRS officers through Civil Services Examination. They start their careers as Assistant Commissioners or Directors in the field. After 20–25 years, they rise to the post of Chief Commissioners.

Structure of the CBIC
CBIC is headed by a chairperson and consists of six members.