Parliament gave its seal of approval to an amendment bill that empowers the officers of Customs and Revenue Intelligence to act as competent authority for assessment of goods, with the Rajya Sabha adopting the measure on Wednesday.

The Customs (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2011, moved by the Minister of State for Finance, Mr Namo Narayan Meena, was passed by the Lok Sabha last month.

As per the provisions of the bill, the officers can issue notice even if they are not specifically assigned to such duty.