Capacity building and skill up-gradation for officers of new Audit Commissionerates
WITH the Cadre review resulting in an army of officers being promoted as Inspectors, Superintendents and Assistant Commissioners, the Board found it prudent to post almost all of them in the new Service Tax and Audit Commissionerates which have sprung up in all metros & mofussil areas.
Let aside the fact that these officers who have been promoted and are hunting for office chairs and tables and some for cabins and are at a loss to understand their job profile and with nothing much to do, the initiative taken up by Bangalore Service Tax Audit is a welcome one. The Commissionerate tied up with the ADG Audit Bangalore under the auspices of NACEN, Bangalore and decided to educate the officers from Service Tax Audit, Central Excise Audit, LTU Bangalore and Mysore Central Excise Audit about the intricacies of Service Tax, a maze for departmental officers and Advocates/ Consultants alike.
Thoughtful, one may say, for the workshop held two days ago in Bangalore and christened as a capacity building exercise had as many as 125 officers attending the day long training which brought together experts in the department and the Advocates & Consultants alike.
The workshop consisted of four modules covering the role of auditors, issues on input services, Place of Provision of Service Rules and Works Contract Service.
It seems that the officers were thoroughly impressed with what was doled out to them and expressed the hope that such workshops are conducted on a regular basis so that they remain updated.
CBEC should replicate this experiment in all Zones to build a robust work force of effective auditors. Kudos to Nagendra Kumar, ADG Audit and Sudha Koka, Additional Commissioner, Service Tax who designed and implemented this programme.