Businesses hoping to trade with India may soon find it easier after the government unveiled two new IT initiatives designed to facilitate customs clearance.

It said ICEDASH will be an 'ease of doing business' monitoring dashboard for the customs department, meaning members of the public will be able to see the daily clearance times of import cargo at Indian ports and airports.

Meanwhile, ATITHI is a mobile app designed more for international travel that allows people to file their customs declaration in advance of arriving in India.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman lauded the new technology and said India's recent improvement in global trade rankings have been thanks in no small part to its efforts to boost IT systems and other reforms.

She added that she hopes these new systems will be key drivers for even more improvement since they reduce interface and increase transparency of customs functioning, as well as creating a tech-savvy image of India's customs measures.

If your company is hoping to trade with Indian businesses, remember that MIC can offer direct electronic communication with the Indian customs administration's Central Board of Excise and Customs, therefore helping to streamline the process for you.