SEVOTTAM IN THE INCOME TAX DEPARTMENT
The Scheme of Sevottam has three modules :
(i) Implementation, monitoring and review of Citizens Charter;
(ii) Creation of effective Grievance redressal mechanism; and
(iii) Capacity building for excellence in Service Delivery.
Keeping in view the various requirements for achieving service delivery excellence as per ISO:15700/2006 standards the ‘Blueprint' for implementation of Sevottam in Income Tax Department was formulated.
As regards requirement of implementation and review of Citizens Charter, the CBDT had constituted a Citizens Charter review committee headed by Member(R). The Charter was developed after involving different stake holders. With a view to elicit the response from stake holders, representatives from ASSOCHAM, FICCI, ICAI, CII and Bar Council and employee unions were associated in the process. Their inputs were also incorporated in the revised Citizens Charter. The Citizens' Charter has since been finalized.
In order to effectively implement the Grievance redressal mechanism it had been decided to establish a Centralised Dak Receipt system in each building.
This dak receipt counter will be on networked computers. This will capture the filing of the papers electronically and provide real-time information to the officers, and a tracking mechanism for supervisory authorities.
All the offices located in a particular building will receive their dak centrally and thereafter the dak will be electronically and physically transferred in the building.
This dak receipt system will also provide for classification of petitions filed by the taxpayers into different categories in accordance with the Charter commitments, grievances etc. The petitions filed by the tax payers will be disposed of within the time lines indicated in the Citizens Charter.
In order to implement the scheme, a detailed process report was prepared and the same was approved by the Board . Steps were also initiated for development of the software for the purpose.
In view of the large geographical and numerical spread of offices throughout India, the Blueprint for implementation of Sevottam also suggested a pilot run at Aayakar Bhavan, Mumbai and Udaipur. These two stations were selected with a view to test the system in a metro and a non-metro city. It was decided that after the pilot run is successfully commissioned, the system will be replicated throughout the country.
This module would also work as an effective Grievance Redressal Mechanism.
In order to effectively implement Sevottam Scheme in the Income Tax Dept., and to create awareness in this regard throughout the country, the Blueprint was circulated to all the CCsIT. For the purpose of capacity building for excellence in Service Delivery, the CCsIT have been requested to identify suitable locations for the centralised dak counter which have been named as Tax Payers Service Centres. These will have proper waiting place, furniture, drinking water facility etc.
These dak counters will be equipped with adequate number of LAN enabled PCs. It is also proposed to provide suitable training to the staff who will be manning the Tax Payer Service Centres. The CCsIT have also been requested to identify and locally implement other capacity building measures to enable excellence in Service Delivery.
The Pilot run for validating the software and systems issues for running the Tax Payer Service Centres at Mumbai and Udaipur has already commenced after software development, installation of hardware, networking and training of the personnel and concerned officers. Subsequent to the Pilot run, the system would be replicated in all the buildings of the Income-tax Department. Phased preparatory activity for setting of Taxpayer Service Centres and sensitization of the personnel to Sevottam at other centres has also commenced.
90% of the problems of the Department – and this includes CBEC – can be solved if there is a proper tracking of the Dak. In most of the offices, the correspondence section is headed by an almost illiterate peon promoted clerk!
Isn't it time that all correspondence is only through e-mails?