Headless Revenue Boards? First Lady Chief of Indian Customs
THE Chairmen of both the Central Revenue Boards, CBDT and CBEC retired on 31 July 2012 and the Government could not finalise the names of the successors to take over. The CBDT and CBEC now have "additional charge" chairmen in Poonam Kishore Saxena and Praveen Mahajan respectively.
Praveen Mahajan is the first lady to head the CBEC and it would have been celebration time, but that is not to be now - she is given only additional charge. The Government knew more than six months ago that the incumbent Chairmen of both the Boards would retire on 31 July. Why couldn't they select successors well in time? Normally the senior-most Member is selected - then why all this confusion? On the day that PC has taken over as the Finance Minister, he finds that both his Revenue Boards are virtually headless.
One of the first priorities of the new FM should be to set right his Revenue Boards. The morale of the staff is at its lowest ebb even among the highest officers - a Member of the Board has resigned! Not having a regular Chairman means that the chance of another Chief Commissioner in becoming a Board Member is blocked.
Interestingly the CBEC will be an all women Board in 2013 with all its Members being ladies. Before that let us have a full-fledged Chairman - a lady of course.
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