Central Revenues Control Laboratory

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Overview

The Central Revenues Control Laboratory is a subordinate office under the control of Central Board of Excise and Customs, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance. It had a modest beginning and its growth is closely related with the development of the Customs and Central Excise Department.

Before 1918, Customs & Excise samples were tested in the laboratories of the Provincial Governments. The position changed after the Imperial Customs Service was created under the control of Central Government. 

There was a laboratory at Kasauli, functioning as an Excise Laboratory for whole of India. After World War-I, this Laboratory was shifted to Calcutta (now Kolkata) and designated as "Customs and Excise Laboratory". This arrangement continued till 1928.

Even with the establishment of Custom and Excise Laboratory at Calcutta the formations at Mumbai (then Bombay) & Chennai (then Madras) used to get their samples tested at the laboratories of the Chemical Examiners of the Provincial Governments. As this arrangement was not found satisfactory, two new laboratories, one each at Bombay and Madras, were opened in 1929 and 1938 respectively.

In order to co-ordinate the work of these three laboratories and to advice on technical matters relating to revenues, Government appointed Dr.H.B. Dunnicliff as Special Adviser to Central Board of Revenue. Being Professor of Chemistry in Punjab University, Lahore, Dr.H.B. Dunnicliff utilized a portion of the University for the analysis work of the Central Board of Revenue till 1938.

In 1939 the Central Revenues Control Laboratory was built at Delhi and the Special Adviser,  who was till then working as part time officer at Lahore, was appointed as full time officer and designated as Chief Chemist, Central Revenues vide Government of India, Finance Department Notification no F.9(2)-Ex.-1/38/P and C.S.No.22 dated 7.7.1938.

The Chief Chemist was re-designated as Director (Revenues Laboratories) on the recommendations of V^th Pay Commission, vide Ministry of Finance Order F.No. A-11019/83/98 dated 10^th May, 1999.

Other Revenues Laboratories were established by Govt. of India at different places after 1955.