It may be soon possible for India to clear consignments at domestic shores without any human intervention. The customs department under the finance ministry is working on a strategy to use artificial intelligence and blockchain technology to track country’s inbound and outbound shipments.

“There is a lot of emphasis on data and analytics. So, we are looking at how we can clear consignments without human interface, but may have to check if machines are working properly once or twice a year. We need to build intelligence into those machines,” a senior government official in know of the matter told Moneycontrol.

The policy is still in its nascent stage, with government officials working on the finer details of exactly in which area the advanced technology can be applied and the amount that needs to be spent on it.

“We don’t have to make changes in the customs law. That is already in place. The policy should be in place in a year’s time,” the official said.

As a part of Budget announcement 2018-19, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said that the government will ‘explore use of block chain technology proactively for ushering in digital economy’.

Jaitley had also said that the government will invest in research, training and skilling in robotics, artificial intelligence, digital manufacturing, and big data analysis in the next financial year to transform our economy by combining cyber and physical systems.

According to a definition by consultancy PwC: “Blockchain is, quite simply, a digital, decentralised ledger that keeps a record of all transactions that take place across a peer-to-peer network. The major innovation is that the technology allows market participants to transfer assets across the Internet without the need for a centralised third party.”

Till now, the application of blockchain technology has been successfully implemented all around the world in cryptocurrencies such bitcoins.

In the initial stages, these advanced technologies may be used only in select areas, such as Export Oriented Units (EOU) only, the official explained.

According to a study by computer services firm IBM, blockchains can reveal where an asset is at any point in time, who owns it or is handling it, and what state it’s in.

“With that data, organisation can better predict when goods will arrive and in what condition. Benefits accrue up and down the supply chain, from just-in-time planning and inventory management to dispute resolution, reduced wastage and quality controls,” it said.

“The broader idea is better utilisation of resources and making judicious use of time so that officials in the customs department do not waste a lot of time on compliance,” the official said, adding that it would make trade logistics also cut significant costs.

Currently, countries, including European nations use a fully-automated system that offers end-to-end clearances of consignments.