Mumbai, July 26: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday urged the Income Tax department to work for the benefit of common people without making them run from pillar to post.
She also went public with her disappointment at the “laidback” nature of government departments, which leads to illegal occupation or encroachments on government lands and underlined the need for integrity in conduct from all officials.
Citing the challenges faced by the department in getting permissions to construct a building in the Nariman Point business district, which she inaugurated on Sunday, Sitharaman said these experiences, despite serving in the Indian Revenue Service (IRS), would have given them an idea of what the common man goes through.
An IRS officer has the name of the Income Tax department behind him, a “powerful force to frighten people”, Sitharaman reminded, adding that despite this, the officials had to run from pillar to post to get clearances from authorities to proceed with work on the 13-floor building.
The minister was quick to say that she is not asking the officials to break the rules or do something out of the way for the common citizens but rued that it takes a lot of effort in this country for people to get their rightful claims.
Sitharaman also promised to look into the issue of many of the I-T officials not staying in official accommodations in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai areas, hinting that half of them do not enjoy such a facility and also travel for long to get to workplaces. (PTI)
