Posting
order of 68th Batch of Group Officers was issued on 01.12.2017 by
the Board as Assistant Commissioner. The probationers have been relieved with
directions to report to the respective CC’s on or before 11.12.2017. All the 157 Officers are designated as
Assistant Commissioners in the said Order. However, on 02.12.2017, DG, NACIN
has issued an instruction that “Board has decided that the probationers will
not be assigned an independent charge as Assistant Commissioner till the end of
Apr-2018 since all of the OTs (probationers) this year, have been posted to
only GST & CX formations they are to
be assigned functional assignment of sub-ordinate officers
(Inspector/Superintendent) from Dec 2017 to Apr 2018 with the designation AC
(OT) and from May 2018 as AC with independent charge”. In the backdrop, in
early 80’s the probationers were posted for 6 months as Sr. Superintendents and
thereafter as AC. During that period from Administration to Field Formations,
from all type of controls as prevailed during that time that is SRP, RBC, PBC Etc.,
thereafter they were given independent postings. Golden days are gone as well
as the pattern of practice training and humane approach, humbleness are missing
as on date. Many of the officers have an allergy to designate or call as
Inspector except using their service for protocol purposes till today which has
no relevance whether to wear uniform or not in the present GST regime. In
police, in executive cadre, the designation of Inspector has relevance as even
their top most post is designated as Inspector General. The present scenario
for eg. in Mumbai, many of the Commissionerates do not have their own place
anyhow in a squeezed condition and reporting day to day functioning. Seniors up
to JC’s have place but below AC to Inspector, are on musical chairs and
cubicles. If this is the situation of Mumbai, rest of the places, situation are
more or less similar to the junior level officers.
In
the GST regime, there is no role assignment to Superintendent as well as Inspector,
although AIO are installed, but inauguration is expected regarding its capacity
and capability to cater and sustain the present needs. However, since July, assessees
are complaining about GSTN and the wrath is being faced by the Inspector and
Superintendent as they are in the ground level. Now, the situation in GSTN has
been improved, but, returns from Aug 2017 onwards are not accepting for
uploading onto the GSTN.
The stagnation in Inspector and
Superintendent Cadre and step motherly treatment by its own administrations is
already in the demoralizing mode and the present allocations where the
jurisdiction base of GST and its existence of its own officers are at stake. The
Group A Officers who have joined this Department have a high ambitions but when
they will be in the formations they will come to know the reality and realize
whether they have joined the right Department in the beginning of their career.
Our own Board, should have, while passing such instructions, to designate them
to work as sub-ordinate officers i.e., as Inspector & Superintendents, will
definitely be a laughing stock before their own same batch who joined in IAS
& IPS, ITRS, IRS (IT), Etc., it would have been prudent the para 2 of the
said communication should have at least indicated that these officers are to
undergo 6 months in-house training in GST filed formations and thereafter
Independent executive posting will be given. Hope we should care for the image
of our department and should not demean or have selfish approach like ‘My days
are over, let others set their own days to come’.
Recently,
in one of the exams, in BHU, a question was asked as to, What did Kautilya
think of GST? The said issue was published in the Hindu dated 07.12.2017.
The head of the BHU’s political science department said, ‘Paper setting is done
as per specialization and expertise. It is the responsibility of the expert to set
question’ M N Thakur, who teaches Political science at JNU, said ‘In an exam
that tests students in areas taught, such questions have no place. Whoever set
the paper acted mindlessly’. Everybody is jumping on GST whether it is their
field or not. The great days of our academicians are also missing today.
The recent communication of the Board
letter dated 05.12.2017 about TRAN 1 data is far from the ground reality and
shows that the reporting officers are not able to convince the authority about
the difficulty faced by the lower level officers that they are sandwiched
between the systems and non-cooperation of the trade. As such, the trade is
coming up from the hiccups of GST and continuous contact with the concerned
jurisdictional officers who are at the receiving end from both the sides. We
are not able to improve our systems and the infrastructures i.e., in what
conditions the GST Commissionerates are functioning. When citizen Charter specifies
courteous behavior and principle of delivery of services is envisaged, why does
a field officer have to report against a tax-payer who prefers to share his
information only to state officers or against Chartered Accountant who is not
accountable to us or under our control.
We have seen the board headed by
several headstrong personalities who stood with the staff and with the own mechanism.
In this transitions we should act as time demands and the existence of our
department and the dignity of each cadre should not be compromised at any cost.
If, the fate of the Group A is concerned for their career, those who have
joined after 2008, they should be given promotions, postings, deputations at
par with other cadres. The Board belongs to A, B and C. The approach should be
rational and not discriminatory one. If they will show least concern about
Group B and C, then, the huge workforce will not come forward with the same
support and co-operation. The Board should stop giving step motherly treatment
to the lower cadres and adopt an inclusive HR policy. Officers in B & C
cadres are pushing and self motivating themselves to meet the objectives of the
GST law and which should not be stretched beyond tolerance levels. The present
allocation of assessee-base is echoing in each cadre. Don’t give any safe passage
to one cadre think for all. a. On Saturday the 9th December 2017, a meeting of
Board Officials is scheduled by the Revenue Secretary, who will take stock of
GST & GSTN and strengthening of the mechanism and various intricate aspects
(RCM, etc) of GST law. It is hoped Board Officials shall not hesitate to appraise the ground realities and
difficulties faced by the field officers as regards to GST and GSTN and also
appraise working conditions, career progressions and financial crunch where the
essential services for efficient delivery of GST - like telephone, internet
electricity are disconnected due to non-payment of bills upto the level of
Chief Commissioner Offices. This is the nadir of shame, loss of dignity of our
esteemed Board and our own offices are defaulters of payment public utility
before the state machinery. It is a matter of shame forcing our own officers to
defend defaulting actions.
Let us hope that our Board will wake upto the situation.
सर्वे भवंतु सुखिन:
