As part of an Asian Development Bank (ADB) project, container cargo from Visakhapatnam Port bound for Nepal and Bhutan will be equipped with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to aid the tracking of cargo and prevent theft and tampering.

Mr. D.K. Srinivas, Commissioner of Customs, India, said the RFID system will be launched at Kolkata Port in September, after which it will be implemented at Visakhapatnam Port. The two ports will initially apply RFID tags on containers bound for Nepal and Bhutan, before applying RFID tags to all cargo.

Visakhapatnam and Kolkata ports serve as gateways for east-bound cargo from Nepali traders. India has granted Nepal and Bhutan, both land-locked countries, free access to international trade routes through bilateral treaties.

Related Links:

• Nepal-bound container cargo to have RFID tags
• RFID Prevents Cargo Theft in Nepal
• Indian bound Containers to Nepal will have RFID tags to prevent tampering