Tuesday, January 26, 2016

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL AWARD WINNERS...


     On the occasion of the 67th Republic Day celebrations, CESA, Mumbai, congratulates all the officers from the Department who have been awarded the distinguished President’s Appreciation Certificate for –“Specially distinguished record of service” for the year 2016.

In all, around 34 officers, from Principal ADG to Sr. PS have been awarded the President's Appreciation Certificate. 

The names of the officers from Mumbai are as follows :-

1. Shri. Hitesh Ajit Shah, Commissioner (Authorised Representative), CESTAT, Mumbai

2. Shri. Mahendra Pratap Singh Sengar, Assistant Commissioner, Central Excise, Mumbai

3. Shri. Ganesh Ray, Senior Intelligence Officer, DRI, Zonal Unit, Mumbai

4. Shri. P. A. Vincent, Superintendent, Large Taxpayer Unit (LTU), Mumbai

5. Shri. Iyer Ganapathi Raman V., Preventive Officer, RMD, Mumbai

    CESA, Mumbai, congratulates Shri. Vinay Kumar Singh, Additional Director, DG HRD, New Delhi, who has earlier served in Mumbai as ADC in Central Excise Mumbai Zone-I and also as DC in DRI, Zonal Unit, Mumbai.

    CESA, Mumbai, also congratulates Shri. Prashant S. Kaduskar, Additional Commissioner, Central Excise, Vadodara, who has earlier served in Mumbai as ADC in CSI Airport & later on in Central Excise Raigad Commissionerate.


I am sure that this award will go a long way in motivating all our colleagues & brother officers to achieve higher milestones for the Department.

JAI HIND !!

Saturday, January 23, 2016

GIST OF MUMBAI-CAT JUDGEMENT DATED 22-JAN-2016...



The Mumbai-CAT’s judgement on the Notification of draft Grp-A RRs was issued on 22-Jan-2016, and gist of the order is as given below :-


CAT is convinced that, in the context of modification of Grp-A RRs, the consultation with UPSC is mandatory and their role is still incomplete, in the light of the Hand Book of 2013 as per paras 3.2.5 to 3.2.7.  Also, in view of the Ministry of Finance’s request to “reconsider”, vide their letter dated 22.12.2015, clearly shows that the matter is now pending with the UPSC for its re-consideration.

Moreover, it is evident that the consultation with the UPSC is an ongoing process and cannot be deemed to have concluded. Hence, it would be premature to subject this matter to judicial review by this Tribunal, until the consultation process reaches a logical conclusion in the eyes of the Government itself, after taking due note of all the views. Hence this Tribunal is unwilling to enter into an arena where angels fear to tread. This Tribunal is not inclined to subject this matter for judicial review at this juncture and sub-plant the mandated Constitutional roles assigned to the UPSC, by prematurely adjudicating this OA.

In view of the above, this OA is disposed of with a direction to Respondents-1 to Respondents-3 to decide or obtain the decision of the Competent Authority, as need be, to resolve all the issues in this controversy, in accordance with law, within a period of four months from the date of receipt of certified copy of the order. We have not gone into merits of the case.

The applicants are at liberty to approach this Tribunal in case they are aggrieved by any of the decisions taken in this matter by the Competent Authority in Government.

Accordingly, OA is disposed of. No order as to costs.

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Tuesday, January 19, 2016

FOAM ON THE SEA-SHORE....



     Agitation, haste and restlessness lead nowhere. It is like foam on the sea-shore. Normally, an individual has an impression that if they are not running around all the time or bursting into feverish activity, then they are doing nothing. Whatever has been done in the world has been achieved by a few who were able to stand outside the scene of action, in silence and they became the instruments of revolution.

     With consistent approach and utter transparency, CESA, Mumbai, with their active participation, brings the day to day happenings of our cadre, without any fear or favour.

     The copy of the Mumbai-CAT’s order pronounced yesterday is not yet received. The same is awaited.

      In Mumbai-CAT, the issue of holding of Review DPC for reservation, came up for hearing today. A group of officers, who had earlier filed a Misc. Application to be included in the proceedings as intervenors, withdrew their application unconditionally. The Departmental Panel Counsel insisted for final hearing and the Bench posted the matter for 02-Feb-2016 and the interim stay order to continue.

     Delegations of Supdt.’s Association, IRS(IDT) Officers Association, Grp-A Direct Recruits’ Association met the Chairman, CBEC, during his Mumbai visit and was appraised of all the pending issues, which he promised to examine & urged all the associations to have patience till a final decision is taken at the earliest. A meeting with the Board officials is expected within a week’s time for early resolution of the pending issues.

      CESA, Mumbai, is thankful to the local Administration for their positive co-operation in all matters including sorting out service related matters of the officers.

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Monday, January 18, 2016

JUDGEMENT PRONOUNCED....



Mumbai-CAT has pronounced the judgement today in the case of Grp-A RRs by giving specific direction/s to UPSC. Details are awaited and on receipt, the same will be posted.

In the issue of implementation of the SC judgement i.r.o. the Parmar case, the Mumbai-CAT has adjourned the hearing to the 22-Feb-2016.

The Custom Appraisers’ have also filed a petition in Mumbai-CAT for change of their seniority as per the SC Judgement in Parmar case. The same is also scheduled to be heard on the 22-Feb-2016.

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Friday, January 15, 2016

CONCERN & LESSON FROM ODD AND EVEN...



The odd & even formulae adopted by the Delhi state government is in the news as some people opposed it and filed a PIL in the SC against the same. While dismissing the petition, the Hon’ble SC refused to hear it urgently terming the petition as a publicity stunt. A SC Bench headed by the Chief Justice T. S. Thakur, who is himself car-pooling to court with fellow judges said, there is no urgency in the matter.
See the concern of the sitting judges, who neither asked for an exemption to the law for themselves nor asked to be given odd/even numbered official vehicles for attending the court !!
Austerity, as well as concern for the pollution being caused, the SC judges used their official positions to improve the image of the official machinery as well as raise their esteem in the eyes of the common man.
Now coming to our Department, gone are the days when the officers may have thought about sharing and car-pooling. Then the size of the Department was much smaller and only the head of the Department had an official vehicle, whether in the HQ or in the Division. Use of the vehicle was exclusively for office use only and after using the vehicle, they were so particular about filling in the timing, mileage & other details in the vehicle logbook. Gradually with the passage of time, as the number of posts and the size of the Department increased, the attitude, approach & behavior of the new breed of offices, which is only of accumulation & exclusivity, is directly opposite to that of their peers, .
The Inspectors & Superintendents, always being called as the pillar & backbone of the Department, have to share everything from table/chair to stationery items like staplers & pins, whereas, for the senior officers, not having to share any of their perks is considered as a status symbol !! The moment they join the Department, they start demanding for a toilet exclusively to be used for Grp-A officers, then for a vehicle of the latest brand & preferably one level higher than what they are eligible, then for a new computer for their use, even if the previous one is only one year old.
In the name of austerity, purchase of official vehicles are restricted and old vehicles becoming condemned, the drivers are sitting idle in the office. In the name of facilities, vehicles are hired under the 1% scheme, which are to be used for preventive operations and such. However, these are allotted and used by the Grp-A officers as their official vehicles, and they do not allow the same to be used for any other purpose by the office. The misuse is so rampant that during holidays, in a city like Mumbai, you will find these vehicle parked at malls, at tourist spots of the city, auditoriums, eateries or near stadiums if a match is going on.
For example, in Mumbai Central Excise Zone-I, II & Service Tax Zone, there are 61 vehicles hired under the 1% scheme (costing an average of Rs. 35k to 40k per month) and majority of the offices are held as additional charges. It is seen that even if an officer is not posted to a place, the vehicle allotted to that office is being used regularly, either for dropping the children to / from school, or by the officer’s spouse / maid / friends for purchase of vegetables / shopping etc. When both the husband & wife are working in the same Department and are holding additional charges, they use all the vehicles that are allotted to their charges as well as their additional charges.
When the Hon’ble FM is emphasizing on austerity measures being taken and reducing the Budget grants under all the heads of account, it only applies to the subordinate officers and it is ensured that there is no deduction in the perks & facilities of the Grp-A officers.
When the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India sacrifices his official car for a cause and is willing to attend court through car-pooling with fellow judges, our Grp-A officers are unwilling to even bring their own pens to office and demand for the best writing instruments at Govt. expense.
When our Hon’ble Chairman is known for his honesty, and the integrity of the all the Members of CBEC is above reproach, how is it that the same does not percolate to the lower echelons of the formations.
Is it possible that the Grp-A officers will learn something from the actions of the CJI and restrain themselves from mis-using govt. facilities or will it be water over a duck’s back….
CESA, Mumbai, salutes the spirit of the Hon’ble CJ of India and his fellow judges.
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Tuesday, January 12, 2016

RRs ON VENTILATOR...

It is said that Christopher Columbus did not sail to discover the new world on the strength of a mere dream. His log books read like a manual for goal-setting
“I proposed to make a new chart for navigation on which I will set down all the seas and the lands in their correct locations and their correct bearings. Further I shall compile a book and map everything by latitude and longitude. These things will be my primary task.”
In real life, are you ready to cruise your course through rough seas and an uncertain future ? If you are fearful of the circumstances, situations & the possible repercussions, nothing can be achieved. Fortune favours the brave who dares to move forward.

Heartbeats of all cadres is at standstill – as all eyes are focused on the developments in Mumbai-CAT about the Group-A RRs. 

Final hearing took place today in Mumbai-CAT – all the three Counsels were present – representing the Department, UPSC & the applicants. In the beginning, the Bench asked whether the matter is to be heard finally or should the matter be referred. It was agreed that the matter should be heard on Final basis. The hearing lasted for more than 2 hours and the order was reserved.

The Bench categorically asked as the Temporary posts do not have RR, however officers have been promoted. They also asked under which RR have the orders for promotion issued for the posts of Principal Commissioners / Principal Chief Commissioners ? Both the Respondents’ Counsels chose to remain silent.

Department has produced correspondence of  December-2015 with UPSC which claims to be confidential, and which will have an impact on the outcome of the issue.

As the order is reserved, it would be unwise to mention as the matter is subjudice.

 


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Monday, January 11, 2016

DETAILS OF MEETING WITH THE HON'BLE CHAIRMAN, CBEC.




 CESA, Mumbai believes in opting for the second option always. It not only participates but also makes the Administration to realize and convinces them to take the correct & necessary action. Shri Najib Shah, is the first serving Chairman who visited the historical Central Excise building at Churchgate on 09-Jan-2016. Even though the purpose of the visit to Mumbai was to attend the Chief Commissioners Conference (Customs), he took out time and met all the Commissioners of Central Excise & Service Tax, LTU, Audit, Appeals and Chief Commissioners of Central Excise & ST.

A delegation of the IRS Officers’ Association headed by Ms. Meenalochani, thereafter the IRS(IDT) Officers Association, headed by Ms. Varsha Kolhatkar, S K Patil and others met the Hon’ble Chairman in between the meetings scheduled with the Central Excise Commissionerates and Service Tax Commissionerates. The promote IRS Officers Association impressed upon the Chairman to hold a Board Meeting alongwith the stake holders to amend the RRs suitably to protect the interests & legal sanctity of the officers holding the temporary posts of Asst. Commissioner. Ms. Kolhatkar made a categorical statement that the units of various states are restrained not to approach CAT against the current version of the draft RR. The Hon’ble Chairman asked the association to have patience and assured that the RRs will be examined once again and enquired about the next date of hearing in Mumbai-CAT.

Thereafter the delegation of CESA, Mumbai, met the Hon’ble Chairman and submitted a written submission which is annexed below :-

                                                                                     Ref: CESA/1/2016D
                                                                                                          Date: 09.01.2016.

Shri Najeeb Shah,
            Hon’ble Chairman,
            CBEC.

Respected Sir,


Sub: - Most pressing issues of Central Excise & Service Tax officers
                        in Mumbai - reg.



              CESA Mumbai welcomes you and thank for the time spared for staff from your hectic schedule in Mumbai. Association takes this opportunity to draw your kind attention on the following issues and request for kind intervention:

1.            Holding of DPC from Grp-B to Grp-A :-
Mumbai is still one of the most stagnated Zones. Much delayed Cadre Restructuring implemented in Oct-2014. Since then no DPC or promotions have taken place. The temporary posts’ life (from 23-Dec-2013) is reducing with each passing day. Officers are retiring and the frustration levels are very high. It is earnestly requested to instruct the Administration to hold DPC and issue order for filling up all the vacant posts upto 2016-17.

2.            MACP :-
The spirit and objective of the MACP is diluted by various interpretations from time to time for which the stagnated officers are the victims. MACP is nothing but an extension of the ACP, however, as represented by the Mumbai Administrations from time to time, no reply has been received from the Board and officers are being forced to go in for litigation against their own Administrations. In the CBEC, different Zones have adopted different practices and there is lack of uniformity in this regard. Therefore it is requested that the spirit of the scheme and the various court judgements in this regards may be implemented uniformly. 

3.            Infrastructure – Office & Residential accommodation :-
Due to persistent efforts by the then Member (ST), Shri V. S. Krishnan and the local Administration, the situation of the office premises and residential quarters has been improved to some extent. However, there is a lot of scope for further improvement both in terms of space and better facilities. Presently, the Commissionerates of ST-V, VI & VII, ST-Audit-I & II, Central Excise-Audit-I & II are functioning without stable offices. Similar is the condition of residential quarters – due to lack of maintenance and/or due to lack of allocation of sufficient funds for its repairs/upkeep. In Mumbai there is acute shortage of staff quarters especially for new recruits in all the Cadres, which compels them to quit, ultimately the Department suffers. Various proposals processed and forwarded for AA/FA needs your favorable intervention. Priority may be given to office premises for the Service Tax Commissionerates and the Audit Commissionerates and mega project of Kharghar needs to be speeded up, along with other residential projects.  

4.            Expeditious disposal of Vigilance cases :-
In spite of several instructions and judicial pronouncements, the pace of disposal of vigilance cases is very slack. It is seen that when both Senior & Junior are charge-sheeted and over a period of time, the senior officers are let-off either by the Courts or by the Department, but the same is not extended to the similarly placed officers in the same case. It is witnessed that for the senior officers, not only they are exonerated, but also given promotions even if it is only for one day before retirement. It is requested that all the cases which are pending for more than a year be taken up for disposal on an urgent basis.

5.            Allocation of funds under various heads to Mumbai :-
It is seen that in spite of all the projections sent to the Board for the fund requirements for the next Financial Year, the quantum of funds allocated to Mumbai under various heads is inadequate to cater the needs of the zones incommensurate with expansion. The effect of this is that bills of staff claims and office expenses are kept pending till the next Financial Year and after all the pending bills are paid, there is hardly any funds left for the current Financial Year. The Department is running on credit lines extended by agencies like MTNL, BEST, MSEB, BSNL, Reliance etc., rent of buildings. As deterrent the service providers disconnect the service for non-payment and Govt. is projected as defaulter. For e.g. for want of funds under IT head, majority of the service tax formations are not equipped with computers forget about connectivity with LAN VAN. Even medical claims where it is needed to be attended on priority the same remain pending for want of funds and officers are coerced to take loans and pay interest to meet medical expenses. 

              Sir, Mumbai Zones has special importance as it is not only the financial capital of the country and have growth and potential to garner revenue for the exchequer. It is therefore, requested that facilities should also be extended to keep the machinery to garner revenue should work smoothly and should not be at the mercy of trade of day to day office management. Independent offices and residential accommodation and proper facility in office motivate staff to be in office and work and needless to say that it increases the efficiency of the organization and service to the public. 

Thanking you,

                                                   Yours sincerely, 

                                                                  A.K. SASMAL
                                                                                           General Secretary


The Hon’ble Chairman listened attentively to our submissions and assured the members of the delegation that he will carefully examine each of the issues and will do the needful at the earliest. Commissioners and Chief Commissioners of the zone, who were also present at the time of the meeting, endorsed the views expressed by the Association.

CESA, Mumbai, has a limited number of issues, and when the same is represented before the Administration properly these can be resolved easily. Also the Administration is aware that these issues cannot be prolonged further without hurting their own interests.

The manner & patience of the Chairman is worth saluting.

After meeting with everybody, the Hon'ble Chairman left the Central Excise building and proceeded to the newly acquired Air India building in the late evening and thereafter visited the DRI office, with the same enthusiasm and spirit.

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Saturday, January 9, 2016

MEETING WITH THE CHAIRMAN, CBEC, IN MUMBAI




     Shri Najib Shah, Hon’ble Chairman of CBEC, New Delhi, is in Mumbai. A delegation of CESA, Mumbai & the All India IRS (Indirect Taxes) Officers’ Association met the Hon’ble Chairman on 09-Jan-2016 at the Central Excise building at Churchgate.

     Detailed discussion and submissions will be posted shortly.

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Friday, January 8, 2016

RR NEEDS RE-ALIGNMENT



परिंदों को नहीं दी जाती तालीम उड़ानों की;
वो खुद ही तय करते हैं मंजिल आसमानों की
;
रखते हैं जो हौसला आसमानों को छूने का
;
उनको नहीं होती परवाह गिर जाने की।



We have witnessed that our Supreme Court was also opened at mid-night to deliver justice. But in our day-to-day working in the CBEC, discriminations against the junior officers is so blatant that it needs to be seen to be believed !!
       For ex. holding of DPC for filling of 2118 posts of Asstt. Commissioners, holding of DPC for promotion from Grp-B to Grp-A iro regular vacancies, injustice in granting MACP, vigilance cases, discriminations right from the amount of space occupied, facilities, quantum & manner of funds utilized, to the number of years after which promotions are granted, appointment on compassionate grounds etc.

But when it is a question of rights / privileges of the Grp-A, not only are their charge-sheets dropped but they are also granted promotion before their retirement, even if it is only for one day !!  The way the NFSG is being given, the manner in which their salaries have been increased during the Cadre Restructuring, the number of HAG+ posts created without any requirement, all at the cost of sub-ordinate officers. Now as a bonus, they will get a huge jump in salaries as proposed by the 7th CPC, while the sub-ordinate officers have to be satisfied with peanuts…
When the promotions of Grp-A officers got stuck because of the stay granted on the publication of Grp-A RRs, by Mumbai-CAT, all the senior officers have not only united but also geared up to justify their stand and also to somehow get the RRs notified.
When any legal matter pertaining to Grp-A promotions crop up, they are able to prepare the replies, file the necessary affidavits, within a week’s time, but in the case of others, they take months to do the same.  As if everything is on premium or reserved for them, whether it is increasing the number of posts during cadre restructuring, career progression, foreign training, 1% increment scheme, creation of Commissionerate, abolition of Directorates, tenure & period of posting in Grp-A cities, immunity from prosecution, etc.
In Mumbai-CAT, they have brought a letter from UPSC dt. 23-Sep-2015, wherein it is stated that :-
 “… Neither the Cadre Review Committee had recommended nor the Cabinet had approved the inclusion of the temporary posts into the Indian Revenue Service.”   
Also, in the same letter it is mentioned that :-
“it is seen that the Department has already granted adhoc promotions to the Junior Time Scale of the Indian Revenue Service (Customs & Central Excise) in Oct-2014 without bringing about an amendment in the Service Rules”

What does it mean ?
The Board should have brought about an amendment in the Service Rules for 2118 temporary posts. The doubts about the Review Committee recommendations and the subsequent Cabinet approval is nothing but an afterthought of not including the temporary posts in the IRS cadre. The officer promoted from Grp-B to Grp-A are designated and posted as Asstt. Commissioners and are/have carried out all the duties of an Asstt. Commissioner and have also drawn the JTS pay-scale.
            As per the Cabinet Note dated 18-Dec-2013, in Para 6, it is stated that pending notification of the revised Recruitment Rules, wherever required, the newly created/re-designated posts will be filled up on the basis of the extant Guidelines for Recruitment Rules, issued by the Department of Personnel & Training. From the above, it is evident that the interim order is not in any way restraining the authority to pursue with implementation of promotion/recruitment at any level.
The creation of temporary posts as Asstt. Commissioners, IRS do not have a place in the proposed RRs. The post cannot exist in any organisation without any mention/place in any RR. Board has gone one step ahead and pleaded before Mumbai-CAT, to exclude these posts from the RR and remaining grades as mentioned in the RRs may be allowed to be notified (piece-meal notification of RRs), which the Mumbai-CAT did not accept and allowed the stay to continue. 
Some are claiming that further promotions cannot be granted unless the adhoc posts are regularised. This claim is far from truth as our 2118 posts are temporary and not governed by any instructions for regularisation, either from the DoPT or UPSC
Hence, CESA, Mumbai, appeals to one and all not to fall into the trap of those who are misleading without knowing the facts and without making any efforts for further promotions or representing to the Board to give justice to the stagnated cadre except creating confusion. DPC for the temporary posts can be held if the Board desires, but the same is not being held as it has no bearing on their career or affecting them in any way.
Parity cannot be achieved by any CAT order or through any judicial pronouncements. We have to make our Cadre eligible for promotion in the proper grade before our own Board i.e. within CBEC. We should concentrate our energies in the right directions without wasting our time and money on frivolous issues.
A glass of water during the time of need is better than juice or tetrapak beverage when it is not needed/appreciated. Dreaming about something is good, but reality should not be overlooked.
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Bunching of all the OAs on holding of Review DPC & susequent reversion, from the respective jurisdictional CAT forums & transferring it to Principal CAT, New Delhi, was scheduled for hearing today.  The Chairman of the Principal CAT was not available, hence the issue was listed again for hearing on the 05-Feb-2016.
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Wednesday, January 6, 2016

LOCK WITHOUT KEY … POSTS WITHOUT RR…



Every star has a place in the sky but the CBEC is denying any place to the 2118 temporary posts of Asstt. Commissioners being designated as IRS (Grp-A) officers !!

Locks are not manufactured without keys – Has the CBEC created posts without RRs ?

The hearing on the publication of Grp-A RRs came up for hearing in Mumbai CAT today. Both the learned Panel Counsels (for the Respondents and for the UPSC) argued tooth and nail to impress upon the Bench to vacate the Stay. Arguments lasted for more than one & half hour, however, both the learned Counsels were unable to convince the Bench for vacation of the stay.

During  arguments, matter came up regarding the proposal of Cadre Restructuring, approval of CR, issuance of orders of Group-A including 2118 Temporary posts, various instructions of DoPT & correspondence of UPSC on holding of DPC. Counsel for the Respondents dramatized the moment to impress upon the Bench that the officers promoted to these Temporary posts were in no way deprived/aggrieved by the proposed Gr-A RRs, and requested for squashing of the Original Application. On being specifically asked by the CAT Bench to both the Counsels whether they can publish the Gr-A RRs without inclusion of these temporary posts of Assistant Commissioner, as mentioned in Draft proposal at Grade-IX(Temp AC) in a piece-meal manner, they had no answer.

The Hon’ble Bench then ordered that the Stay shall continue & placed the matter for final hearing on 12.01.2016.

A group of Senior officers from Delhi & Mumbai assisted the Panel Counsels for the Respondents, who were very hopeful that they will be able to get the stay vacated, but the Bench was so meticulous & observant in pointing out the various shortcomings of their arguments, which the Board had tried to sweep under the carpet, so as to continue the discriminatory attitude towards the stagnated feeder cadres. All these things will have to be answered by the Board during the course of final hearing.

Their motto and the motive are now clear - IRS officers do not want their territory to be shared by any other sub-ordinate cadre. 

The noble work carried by the then Chairperson, Ms. Shanti Sundaram & the then Member(P&V), Ms. Joy Kumari Chander, etc. are now being diluted.  The motto & objective of the Cadre Restructuring was for & in the larger interest of all the cadres of CBEC, not exclusively for the 56 HAG+ posts.

In the last restructuring, one junior officer, working in the administration section of Mumbai Customs & was considered supreme in all admin matters, mislead the Mumbai admin, which was exposed later on & now the officer is facing disciplinary action.

We hope & pray that now there are no such officer/s who may be misleading CBEC and/or UPSC...
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Monday, January 4, 2016

THREAD OF HONESTY & INTEGRITY...



"Recently, the 67th Batch of IRS Officer Trainees completed their probation and got felicitated in New Delhi by the Hon’ble FM. He exhorted them to maintain absolute standards of ethics and 100 percent integrity during their long careers.

He emphasized on the Gandhian principle that even in moments of struggle, they should be in a position to maintain the position of ethics and morality on their side. He appealed to the young IRS officers to retain their idealism throughout their careers. For this, Jaitley said they needed to have the basic cardinal principle of striving for excellence."


    It is a regular feature that whenever a batch of probationers complete their training, they are addressed & felicitated by the Hon’ble FM, but unfortunately, the pledges taken by the probationers after their training and the various teachings, sermons, appeals, etc. or during the felicitation function loose their meaning as soon as they get their field postings.

   In earlier days, i.e. upto the 1980’s, on completion of their training, they were posted as Senior Supdts. and used to work & learn mostly under a promotee AC. The atmosphere then was so cordial, homely and the sense of belongingness was there. The integrity, dignity, humility & compassion, which was to be their hallmark virtues, have now been lost in the competition of self enrichment, which is at the cost of their self-respect and position.

   Many of the officer trainees are highly educated, either professionally qualified or are post graduates in their respective fields, and may have spent lakhs of rupees to acquire their qualifications. Will they consider their qualifications as a waste or will they make it useful to the organizations in which they serve or will they fall prey to the temptations of postings in the Department ?

   There have been many illustrious officers like S/Shri Gopalnathan, Dayashankar, Arun Sahu, Smt. Shantisundaram, Shri K K Sharma, & many more, who use public transport while in service and never mis-used their positions for themselves, their relatives or friends.

     In Mumbai, Shri Dayashankar is considered an icon. While returning to Australia, after his treatment in India, a newly joined direct recruit AC, posted at Mumbai Airport, pestered him for tips on booking great cases. Shri Dayashankar was avoiding to answer the question as he was not keeping well, but on being pressed for an answer told the officer gently “learn to live within your salary, then you don’t need to run after anybody for postings”

     Officers like S/Shri. K K Sharma, Sanjeev Bihari, known for their concern for their subordinates and during a time of crisis, also their family members, without any fanfare, continued to keep in touch with them. Sadly, very few officers are like them in the later batches.

    Nowadays, for the direct recruits, feelings, emotions, ethics, etiquettes are filmy dialogues and they behave in a very rude, mannerless way, they do not show any consideration/respect/regards for a persons age/gender, while dealing with their sub-ordinates. They think that all the subordinates are there only to cater to their needs, whims & fancies. Whenever, any task is to be accomplished, whether it is statistical, technical or even legal, all the subordinates are put to the task to ensure that it is done. Thereafter if any laurels are received for a task well done, they jump forward to take the credit and if brickbats are received for a shoddy job then it is the sub-ordinates who have to take the blame. They know that their tenures are fixed and their crony system will ensure that they are insulated & will not be blamed/fixed for any shortcomings on their part. They are only here to enjoy the fragrance of the Department and it is not their job to maintain/clean the system.

Areas of mis-use :-

1)   Maximum use of OE funds only for their requirements/perks/cabins,
2)  Maximum use of Medical funds for their use on priority basis,
       3) Priority use of LTC/HTC funds for their use,

4)  Misuse of funds under the IT head for purchase of white elephants like an Apple desktop which is not compatible with the commonly used windows hardware/software.

5)  Misusing of Govt. vehicles by putting red-light beacons (which is banned), using them for private use, not only by them but also by their family, relatives & friends and even pets,

6)  During transfer posting, maximum visits by air to New Delhi in the name of official work,

7)  Misuse of SS Funds for personal use, which is a criminal act,

8)  Using the force of their posts to become members of elite clubs, etc.

    After probation and completion of their training, they should join their new postings only on surrender of their hostel accommodations. Similarly, after transfer from a particular place, they should not linger on in official/private guest-houses for months together on one pretext or the other.  They become indebted to a company/entity, after availing the private guesthouses or any other facility from them. Due to this even the lower level officers are unable to take any action against the said company/entity, which, in the long run, costs a huge loss to the Department.

In Service Tax, surveys are conducted, without providing any logistic support in the form of vehicles or TA/DA. Ultimately, this encourages wrong doing on the part of the officers at all levels.
Lower level officers are forced to travel for miles/days for attending MCM, or for getting the SCNs approved by their senior officers, or for briefing the Panel counsels & attending court hearings, without being provided any facility in terms of vehicles, expenses and other logistical support. Will any of the Grp-A officer dare to accomplish any of the above tasks without burdening the Department as their lower officers are forced to do ?
Misuse of CCS Rules – To fulfil their ego, many of the direct recruits start using the CCS Rules to terrorise the lower staff.
     When they are holding additional charge, they do work in a cosmetic manner but expect lower officers, also holding additional charge, to do full justice to the additional work.
    Expectations of the direct recruits have reached sky-high levels and needs to be controlled by their supervising officers for the benefit of the Department in the long run.
    There was a time when there were only a handful of corrupt officers in the Department, but now there are only a handful of honest officers remaining  !!

   The image of a revenue officer abroad vis-à-vis to the status & image of a revenue officer in India are in opposite directions. This needs introspection, not only in their status & behavior, but also in dignity & belongingness/dedication to serve the organization, to enrich the exchequer, not themselves.

   Finally, the words which they have heard from the Hon’ble FM, may not linger in their ears, the group photograph may gather dust in their cupboard, but their kids and parents have an eye on them that their son/daughter or dad/mum is not lesser than a superman or a filmy hero in the real life. It is for them to stand tall as an example for their wards to emulate and as a gift to their parents who have brought them up…

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