FM Sitharaman slams ‘relaxed’ nature of government offices, urges IT department to prioritize common people | Today’s news
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday directed the Income Tax Department to work for the benefit of the common man and said citizens should not run from pillar to post to complete their work.
She also expressed disappointment at the “laxness” of government departments, which often leads to illegal occupation or encroachment on government land. The finance minister also emphasized the need for fair dealing by all officials, news agency PTI reported.
“Don’t make them (citizens) run from pillar to post”
Using the example of the Nariman Point business district project, Sitharaman highlighted how the problems in getting permission to build it affected the government office as well. She said the experience should encourage officials to be more accommodating to citizens and ensure they are not forced to make repeat visits for approval.
The IRS officer has the name of the Income Tax department behind him, “a powerful force to scare people”, Sitharaman recalled, adding that despite this, officials had to run from pillar to post to get permission from the authorities to continue work on the 13-storey building.
“Can this (experience) motivate you to understand the position of the common citizen when they turn to you? Don’t make them run from pillar to post where your authority is required, do the work for them,” FM said.
Why does FM say that government departments have a “relaxed” nature?
The minister also stressed that she is not asking officials to break the rules or do anything that goes against ordinary citizens, but she regretted that in this country it takes a lot of effort for people to achieve their rightful claims.
The land on which the 1.13 lakh sq ft Aaykar Sindhu building is being built was in the possession of the Income Tax department since 1973, the minister said, adding that despite this, illegal occupation has sprung up on the land.
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“The fact that you have led to occupations, illegal occupation, shows somewhere in our governance that we are too careless. It is somebody’s job to take care of our property and when it is encroached on, we say, oh, we have land but we can’t build on it,” she said.
Meanwhile, she also underlined the importance of integrity in doing critical work like collecting taxes for the country. “Integrity is the one principle I will uphold to each and every one of you,” she said.
FM says he will address housing issues of tax officials
Sitharaman also assured Income Tax officials that the government will look into the lack of official accommodation for the department’s employees in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai areas, suggesting that half of them do not like such facilities and also travel long distances to work.
Sitharaman said she would favor government-to-government transfer of land for this purpose and assured that she would facilitate speedy transfer of land and other aspects like getting permission, construction, dealing with CPWD (Central Public Works Department), awarding of contracts and tenders would be a task for IT officials to handle.
Read also | FM Sitharaman asks IT department to crack down on tax cheats
“Do all this as soon as possible so that we don’t end up in the second half of the 21st century with scattered office space, rental accommodation in a city that is growing rapidly and expect to pay rents or rents at phenomenal rates,” the finance minister said.
She specifically mentioned state-run BSNL, asked officials to acquire telco land and promised to speak to her minister counterpart.
(With inputs from PTI)
