Central Excise Days !

By Vijay Kumar

It is Celebrations time in Central Excise. The DAY was celebrated on Friday in Lucknow where Minister of State for Steel Akhilesh Das was the Chief Guest and Chief Commissioner Rajesh Dhingra claimed a 71 per cent growth in revenue collection from central excise. In Friday's celebration in Coimbatore, Commissioner Rajindiran said that Coimbatore was the first e-filing Commissionerate in the country. He plans to achieve a 100 per cent e-payment and e-filing of central excise returns.

But there are also examples where an Administrative Officer (HQ), had issued an ultimatum to the staff as,

I HAVE BEEN DIRECTED BY THE ADDITIONAL COMMISSIONER (P & V) TO INFORM THAT ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE STAFF ARE TO ATTEND THE `EXCISE DAY' FUNCTION ON 22.02.2008 AT 5.30 PM AT SUGUNA KALYANA MANDAPAM WITHOUT FAIL AND THE NON-ATTENDANCE WILL BE VIEWED SERIOUSLY.

However, for the FM, the Day was on the Day – February 24 th . He addressed a Central Excise gathering yesterday.

The FM was optimistic that the Department would meet the target and collect the one percent incentive. Let us hope the FM would use a part of the one percent to provide some infrastructure facilities for the CESTAT. CBEC Chairman S K Shingal said growth rate of excise duty collections was a matter of concern. Excise duty collections were growing at a rate of 7.6 per cent.

“You have a little over Rs 200 Crores that could be spent on infrastructure, improving the working conditions of your officers and other employees and make the environment friendly and conducive for better work through good housekeeping,” Mr Chidambaram told the Central Excise officers.

And today is Excise Day in Chennai. Fr. P. Christie, Director, Loyola Institute of Business Administration, Chennai, will be the Chief Guest .Here the directions to the staff were polite, “All Officers and staffare requested to attend along with their family members and make the celebrationa grand success.”

Pondicherry will also have the celebration today with Rakesh Behari , Chief Secretary as Chief Guest .

What's in a Day – you can celebrate it whenever it is convenient to you. When you are not serious of a particular day, why can't you have it after you have achieved those Revenue Targets – sometime in April ?