TIOL-DDT 2582
22 04 2015
Wednesday

YESTERDAY, on the occasion of Civil Services Day, the Prime Minister gave away the awards for excellence in Public Administration to several civil servants. Strangely the award for the CBEC went totally unnoticed and unreported by the entire media. The Directorate of Systems, CBEC was given the award for the initiative in IT Consolidation Project. The award was received by the CBEC Chairman Mr. Kaushal Srivastava. Picture above shows Mr. Srivastava receiving the award.

If there is an award for excellence in PR, the CBEC is sure to be out of the list. They have the strange habit of shying away from their laurels, while their misdeeds get wide publicity without any effort. Obviously, the CBEC did not issue any Press release on this great achievement, while the CBDT was prompt to do so on theirs.

CBDT gets THE Award for Excellence in Public Administration

CBDT getting the award was widely reported by the media including PIB. The CBDT got the award for the initiative, easy tax compliance through quality service. The award was received by Ms Anita Kapur, Chairperson, CBDT. Picture shows her receiving the award.

The CBDT Press release concluded, "The 'Prime Minister award for excellence in public administration' and the four National e-governance awards to the Income Tax Department demonstrate the commitment of the Department towards achieving 'minimum government and maximum governance' in tax administration and to move towards a non-adversarial and tax-payer friendly regime."

Excellent Speech by Prime Minister - Sheelam Param Bhushanam

IF there is an award for excellence in making speeches to babus, it should go to the Prime Minister. He knows his babu, like no one does.

He narrated his experience as a Chief Minister of how babus used to answer his questions. If he calls one babu, he (babu) would come with a group and when he asks a question, the senior officer would turn his head and his subordinates would whisper something and then he would answer. Modi then instructed that when he calls a babu, he should come alone - he told them, "don't bring the army".

He said he had never been to the academy at Mussoori, and asked the babus whether they teach in Mussoorie to be very serious, as if carrying the whole world's burden. He asked them, "why are you sitting like this; don't worry, I am not going to ask you to do any new work." He said, "You read a lot. You must have read the best books. You are basically like that and that is why you are here. Those who do 'union baji' in college don't come here. Only those who are lost in books come here."

He told them, "if you told your grand children that you started life with a scooter, with a small rented house - and now you have the big car, the flat, the bungalow; they will not be impressed. But if you them about how you changed lives, like how you provided water …. They will be impressed and they will tell their grand children about what you have done."

He asked them to look at history and why certain decisions were taken by their predecessors (he explained why there was a guest house for every twenty kms in a particular district) and he asked them to leave their impressions (and records) for posterity.

He reminded them of the Mussoorie Motto - Sheelam Param Bhushanam

This is a speech that every babu should listen to - You can watch it here.

CBEC Wants JS (TRU)

CBEC is looking for officers to fill the likely vacancies of:

1. Joint Secretary (Review)

2. Joint Secretary (COFEPOSA)

3. Joint Secretary (TRU-II), and

4. Commissioner (Central Excise)

IRS (C&CE) officers in the grade of Commissioner are eligible. Board wants the applications by 28.04.2015. Do they hope Commissioners to rush in with applications for these posts - within a week?

CBEC F. No.A.35017/40/2015-Ad.II., Dated: April 20, 2015

Sevottam in Customs & Central Excise

CENTRAL Board of Excise & Customs is committed to encourage, facilitate and assist its existing and potential assesses to voluntarily discharge their tax obligations and to provide them services necessary in meeting these obligations. CBEC is also committed to discharge all its functions in a fair, impartial, transparent and consistent manner.

This will be achieved through constant monitoring of service delivery channels, customer feedback, motivation and training of personnel, continually improving reliability levels of internal processes, and identifying opportunities for improvement.

CBEC is committed to meet the requirements of IS 15700 and to review its quality policy and quality objectives to continually improve the standards of services and the effectiveness of the service quality management system with the objective of enhancing customer satisfaction .

SEVOTTAM is the CBEC platform for delivering quality in tax payer services.

Lofty aims?

Several Commissionerates have declared that they have implemented Sevottam Projects. A Commissionerate which implemented the Scheme in the beginning of this months states:

Steps taken at the Commissionerate to implement Sevottam Project w.e.f.01.04:

1. Acknowledge all written communications including declarations, intimations, applications and returns immediately and in no case later than 7 working days of their receipt.

2. Convey decision on matters relating to declarations or assessments within 15 working days of their receipt

3. Dispose of a refund claim within 3 months of receipt of a complete claim

4. Remit drawback within 7 working days of filing of manifest in the case of electronic processing of declarations

a. filing of manifest in the case of electronic processing of declarations

b. filing of a paper claim in the case of manual processing

5. Clear the goods, where the declaration relating to any consignment is complete and correct,

c. In case of exports, within 24 hrs of filing of declaration

d. In case of imports, within 48 hrs of filing of declaration

6. Complete Central Excise registration formalities within 2 working days of receiving a complete application

7. Complete examination and clearance of export consignment at factory premises within 24 hours of accepting the request

8. Give minimum 15 days advance intimation before undertaking the audit of the assesses records

9. Release of seized documents within 60 working days if they are not required by the Department.

10. Time norms for other activities, as may be prescribed, shall also be observed.

Are you getting these services? It is not enough for the Commissioners to declare that they have implemented Sevottam; they should ensure that it works efficiently.

A very distinguished former IRS officer had recently written in our columns that 'Sevottam' facility introduced in the Commissionerates refuse to put the rubber stamp in token of having received a letter, unless the person at the counter is paid a minimum of Rs.50/-.

Sheelam Param Bhushanam

Until Tomorrow with more DDT

Have a nice day.

Mail your comments to vijaywrite@tiol.in