Nagpur: The valediction ceremony for the Orientation Programme “Uttarayan 2017” for newly promoted Assistant Commissioners of Income Tax (ACsIT) was held at National Academy of Direct Taxes (NADT), on Wednesday. Nishi Singh, Member (P&V), CBDT, New Delhi, was the chief guest for the function. As many as 187 newly promoted ACsIT have completed their Orientation Training of eight weeks at NADT before returning to their field postings to play a new role in the tax administration of India.
At the outset, in his welcome address, Rang Nath Jha, Principal Director General, NADT, welcomed the chief guest. He expressed appreciation for the conduct and participation of the officer trainees during the eight weeks of academic and extra-curricular activities. Emphasising the importance of training, he stated that valediction of this training is not the end but the beginning of a new era full of challenges and opportunities for contributing the best towards national prosperity. He also highlighted the importance of striving for excellence and competing with oneself in order to achieve one’s best.
Leena Srivastava, Addl. Director General (Training)-3, NADT, presented an overview of the Orientation Programme. She stated that considering the already long and varied field experience of the officer trainees and their exposure to Income Tax law, the training programme was so designed as to emphasise more upon imparting knowledge of allied laws, modern accounting software, digital forensics, financial forensics, soft skills and personality development through management modules, exposure to financial markets and techniques of investigation particularly in those areas which the trainees were not exposed to, such as International Taxation/Transfer Pricing, assessment of search cases etc.
She also said that most of the training was provided through classroom sessions, workshops, group activities and management games and at the same time health quotient of the trainees was also taken care of through organizing morning activities of Yoga, PT, Swimming and Gym etc. She highlighted that conducive environment for team building and mutual bonding was provided through various group activities and attachments like project works, law assignments, visit to Sewagram, Tadoba, Bharat Darshan, cultural events etc. which not only developed camaraderie but also exposed them to various social and trade sectors of this diverse country. She informed that an International Attachment is also a part of the orientation programme to give exposure of International Tax Administration systems and best practices to the trainees, which is expected to take place in the month of September, 2017.
Sarita Kumari, Addl. Director & the Course Director of Orientation Programme, ‘Uttarayan-2017’, presented the brief batch profile. She said that the Orientation Programme is designed to equip the officer trainees with knowledge and skills to enhance their effectiveness as efficient tax administrators. Sarita Kumari informed that out of the total batch strength of 187, twenty-one trainees are lady officers. The Batch is represented by 22 states and Union Territories and the cultural, educational and linguistic background of the Officer Trainees is richly diverse. The average work experience of this Batch in the Department is 24 years. Further, two of the officer trainees gave batch feedback about the training and expressed immense satisfaction about the design and delivery of training inputs. They testified to the relevance and the effectiveness of the course content as also the training pedagogy adopted by the Academy for encapsulating the best of all spheres such a condensed yet smooth training programme.
At the outset, the chief guest, Nishi Singh, Member (P&V), CBDT, New Delhi underlined the importance of training as a vital constituent of human resource development for any organization. She said that training is a continuous process and is necessary for developing and upgrading the skill level of manpower. While commenting upon the perception about the officers of the Income Tax Department, she stated that officers of the department are highly sought after by different organs of the Government such as Election Commission, Enforcement Directorate etc. owing to their professional skill levels and immaculate investigative acumen.
She expressed her satisfaction that the Income Tax Department, as a whole, has embarked upon the path of excellence, particularly in recent years, in the three crucial areas of Taxpayer Services, zero tolerance to black money and zero tolerance to corruption. She underlined the importance of computerization, setting up of taxpayer help desks, streamlined refund mechanism, grievance redressing mechanism such as CPGRAMS etc. She stated that despite challenges in the areas of manpower and infrastructure shortage, the Department has been able to record substantial progress by way of several novel initiatives in the field of public service, which has minimized the instances of public grievances. She stated that impeccable and courteous conduct of the public servant is the key to public service delivery.
Finally, Nishi Singh, Member (P&V), CBDT, New Delhi, exhorted the officer trainees to give their best to the organization and stated that this Department has an added advantage of providing academic stimuli at all levels of hierarchy and at all times, and as such will keep your intellect alive till the last day in office and even beyond.
Seema Pramod, Associate Course Co-ordinator conducted the proceedings while Dr. Surjit Saha, Associate Course Director, proposed the formal vote of thanks.
