With this, there will be no more claims left to be cleared, says association president SP Agarwal.

Last year, the association had been able to dispose of pending drawback claims worth Rs 750 crore in June and July and distribute the amount to exporters throughout the country.

Agarwal said the All India Drawback Clearance month would be inaugurated by SD Mohile, chairman of the Central Board of Excise and Customs , in Delhi on Thursday. KL Verma, member (customs), would preside. The function would be followed by an open house meeting with exporters to hear their problems and resolve them on the spot.

Agarwal said Punjab National Bank, Delhi, had been taking an enormous time to credit drawback amounts to exporters' account even after receiving the sums from the government. As a result, the liquidity position had been affected, he said and suggested that Punjab National Bank pay interest for delayed payments.

The situation in Mumbai was worse where the State Bank of India had been nominated as the agency to disburse drawback payments.

The new duty drawback schedule based on the changes in the customs and excise duties effected in the 2000-01 budget is due to be notified by the government on June 1.

In this regard, Agarwal suggested that once the drawback rates were notified, they should remain valid unlike the next revision. But in the last two years, the rates had been revised mid-way by the drawback directorate, causing hardship to exporters.