NITI Aayog to push India's cyber defence system

[Hindustani78]

The Chief Minister of Haryana, Shri Manohar Lal Khattar with the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, Dr. Rajiv Kumar, in Chandigarh on February 22, 2018. The Finance Minister of Haryana, Capt. Abhimanyu is also seen.

The Chief Minister of Haryana, Shri Manohar Lal Khattar in a meeting with the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, Dr. Rajiv Kumar, in Chandigarh on February 22, 2018. The Finance Minister of Haryana, Capt. Abhimanyu is also seen

The Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, Dr. Rajiv Kumar interacting with the media, at Chandigarh on February 22, 2018. The Finance Minister of Punjab Shri Manpreet Singh Badal is also seen

The Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, Dr. Rajiv Kumar meeting the Governor of Punjab and Administrator of U.T. Chandigarh, Shri V.P. Singh Badnore, at Chandigarh on February 22, 2018.

The Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, Dr. Rajiv Kumar meeting the Chief Minister of Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh, at Chandigarh on February 22, 2018.

The Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, Dr. Rajiv Kumar meeting the Chief Minister of Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh, at Chandigarh on February 22, 2018.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
23-February, 2018 17:27 IST
BIS Accentuates the Role of Standardization in Big Data

Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the National Standards Body of India, in association with Data Science Foundation organized the 5th international data science summit in New Delhi today. The conference was attended by around 130 delegates from Corporate Officers and executives involved in strategy, Government Policy Planners, Academic institutions, Electrical utilities, Researchers and Developers along with Standards Development Organizations.

Eminent speakers from across the globe discussed various topics and aspects of big data, including Big Data Standardization, Challenges with Big Data, Machine Learning, Application of Big Data Analytics in Media, Artificial intelligence.

In the recent past, the topic ‘Big data’ have gained significant popularity globally because of its capability to revolutionize the businesses and services. In fact, Big data has an impact on every aspect of our daily life. The emerging technology areas like Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial intelligence, machine learning are fuelled by Big data and analytics only.

In India also Big data has become the major focus of scientists and technologists because of our government’s new initiatives like ‘Digital India’.

Standardization in Big data is going to play a major role in facilitating the exchange and sharing huge volume of data across multiple platforms, multiple applications and multiple sectors. With proper standardization in place, huge volume of data generated within a system can be effectively utilized by other systems/services and applications.The summit was successfully concluded providing insights into various applications of Big data ecosystem in the emerging technology areas like Artificial intelligence, Machine learning, IoT and Smart cities.



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Ministry of Electronics & IT

23-February, 2018 17:48 IST

Swachhta Pakhwada Observed in Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology

Swachhta Pakhwada was observed with enthusiasm and active participation of the officers and staff of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology from 1st to 15th of February, 2018. A day-wise Action Plan, consisting of, both, motivational and physical activities, was prepared for implementation by MeitY/Its Offices. One of the major points of the Action Plan of MeitY was ‘e-Waste Management’ involving the community at large. Secretary, MeitY reviewed the preparedness before the start of Swachhta Pakhwada on 31.01.2018 with the heads of Organisations under MeitY through meeting/Video Conferencing.

At the inception, Secretary, MeitY administered Swachhta Pledge to all the officers and staff on 01.02.2018 and delivered an Inaugural Message emphasizing our commitment towards a clean work place and its surroundings to realize the dream of a clean and green India. Nukkad Natak on ’e-Waste and Swachhta’ was held on this occasion by the employees of MeitY/Its Offices to create awareness among the officers and visitors on the importance of Swachhta and safe disposal e-waste.

The officers/staff of MeitY and Its Offices housed in E.N. Building attributed their time for ‘Shramdan’ at DAVP Road (from E.N. Building to Pragati Vihar Hostel) on 03.02.2018 contributing towards the cause of clean and green surroundings.

Messages/Slogans on cleanliness and hygiene and safe disposal of ‘e-waste’ were widely publicized/displayed, physically and electronically and through the website of Meity/Its Offices.


A Poster/Slogan Competition on ‘e-Waste’ was organized by MeitY (NeGD) on 07.02.2018. NeGD held Painting/Slogan Competition by students from nearby schools in Electronic Niketan on 07.02.2018.

A National Workshop on ‘e-Waste Management’ was organized on 08.02.2018 by MeitY (C-MET and C-DAC) at Hyderabad to disseminate information on the technologies/equipment that have been developed on e-Waste Management and create awareness among the public/consumers/entrepreneurs, formal/informal sector for affordable, safe and proper extraction of valuable things, emission, recycling, safe disposal etc. Lectures on e-Waste Management and swachhta awareness were also delivered by the organizations across their field offices to leverage information to students and employees.

A Lecture reg. “Solid and Liquid Management and Importance and Necessity of General Cleanliness” was organized on 09.02.2018 for Housekeeping and Canteen staff and officials of MeitY, to inculcate good sanitation and hygiene practices/habits. A Cyclothon to spread awareness among masses on Swachhta was undertaken by NIELIT on 09.02.2018. General cleaning activities were intensified by Meity/Its Organisations widely, also laying emphasis on weeding out of old/unused files/registers and disposal of unused items/equipments.

Two nos. “Divyangjan” toilets were also got constructed in E.N. Building and inaugurated by a Divyangjan employee of MeitY in presence of the senior officers on 15.02.2018 for the convenience of Divyangjan employees.

Pakhwada activities were widely publicized through electronic and social media like MyGov, Twitter, Facebook etc. and also uploaded the same on the website of the M/o DWS.

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[Hindustani78]

The Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar & Convener of the GoM, Shri Sushil Kumar Modi addressing a press conference after the 7th Meeting of the Group of Ministers on IT (GoM on IT) for GST Implementation, in New Delhi on February 24, 2018.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
25-February, 2018 13:44 IST
21st National Conference on e-Governance to begin tomorrow in Hyderabad

The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Government of India, along with the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India in association with Government of Telangana is organizing the 21stNational Conference on e-Governance on February 26- 27, 2018 in Hyderabad, Telangana.

Union Minister of State for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Shri Y.S. Chowdary will preside over the inaugural session of the conference. And Shri Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao, Minister for IT, Municipal Administration & Urban Development, Industries & Commerce, Public Enterprises, Sugar, Mines & Geology, NRI Affairs, Government of Telangana will be the Chief Guest of the Inaugural Session. Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Commerce & Industry, Shri C.R. Chaudhary is also likely to address the gathering. Shri Shailendra Kumar Joshi, Chief Secretary, Government of Telangana will address the Inaugural Session.

Shri KV Eapen, Secretary, D/o Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances will deliver the Opening Address while Shri Ajay Bhushan Pandey, Chief Executive Officer, UIDAI will deliver the Key Note Address. Shri Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology will be another important speaker of the Session.

The theme of the Conference this year is, ‘Technology for accelerating Development’. The Inaugural Session will be followed by 3 Plenary Sessions on Day1 based on themes: Building User Experience, Universalization and Replication and Governing e-Governance while on Day2 the two Plenary Sessions will be based on e-Governance Good/ Best Practices, Emerging Technologies. The theme of the Wrap up Session will be Synergising Role of National and State Government.

On Tuesday, February 27, Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North- Eastern Region, MoS PMO, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space shall present National e-Governance Awards 2018 in 8 categories concerning various aspects of e-Governance comprising of Gold and Silver in each category.

The Awards are given for excellence in Government Process Reengineering, Citizen- Centric Service Delivery, Innovations in existing projects of Government Departments other than PSUs, Best district level initiatives through ICT, Use of Spatial Technology and GIS in eGovernance, Innovative use of ICT by Central Government PSUs/ State Government PSUs, Outstanding initiatives in e-Governance by Academic/ Research Institutions and NGOs including Cooperatives/ Federations/ Societies and Replication/ adaptation of the best e-Governance projects/ practices awarded.

The Conference serves as a forum in which the Secretaries, Administrative Reforms and Secretaries, Information Technology of State Governments, IT Managers of the Central Governments, Software Solution providers, industry, etc. participate and interact, exchange opinions, views, discuss issues, problems and also analyze various solution frameworks.

The Conference is also a forum to showcase best practices, innovative technologies and ICT solutions. The National e-Governance Awards recognise and promote excellence in implementation of e-Governance initiatives taken by various government departments and also initiatives of public sector units and Non- Government Institutions.

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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
26-February, 2018 17:39 IST
Two day National Conference on e-Governance inaugurated in Hyderabad

The Union Minister of State for Consumers Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Commerce & Industry, Shri C.R. Choudhary and the Minister of Information Technology, Municipal Administration & Urban Development, Industries and Commerce of Telangana state, Shri K.T. Ramarao inaugurated the 21st National Conference on e-Governance in Hyderabad today. In his Presidential address Shri C.R. Choudhary has called for a change in the mind-set of people if e-Governance has to be made effective and bring qualitative changes in people’s life. Through e-Governance we can bring transparency, eliminate corruption and reduce time in delivery of services to citizens, he added. Giving examples of benefits of e-Governance, the minister cited elimination of nearly 3 crore duplicate ration cards from Public Distribution System, which resulted in saving of Rs.17000 crores and ensured delivery of food grains to the needy persons only. He said e-Governance can help in ease of doing business and thus fulfil the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s objective of attracting more Foreign Direct Investment into the country. He said good schemes needed good implementation through e-Governance. Urging the use of Technology for development, he wished the delegates fruitful deliberations during the panel discussions.

In his address, Shri K.T.Ramarao said digital revolution should lead to digital democracy and fruits of technological power should be used for economic development of the people. Quoting Chief Minister Shri K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s directive, Shri Ramarao reminded them that the aim of technology should be to help people. Narrating his achievements as Information Technology minister, he cited several IT projects that helped in removing obstacles to vehicle owners through RTA m-wallet. This wallet was downloaded by three million people in three months, indicating its relevance to people. Similarly he highlighted success of 4500 Me-Seva centres in Telangana state, which registered 10 crore transactions (1.5 lakh transactions per day). He announced that an upgraded version of Me-Seva 2.0 App encompassing 180 government services will be launched soon. The minister, highlighting an important measure to attract investments into Telangana State, said an investor now need to apply online only through TS iPass, upon which a decision will be conveyed within the time limit of 15 days. Even if there is a delay, it is deemed approval. So far 6000 clearances were given under new guidelines. Shri Ramarao said that Telangana State has become Number One in the rankings of ‘Ease of doing Business’, attracting Rs. 1,20,000 crore investments and creating 3 lakh jobs.

Among other speakers who addressed the Opening Session included the Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances Shri K.V.Eapen, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology Shri Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Chief Executive Officer, UIDAI and Chairman, GSTN Shri Ajay Bhushan Pandey and Chief Secretary of Telangana State Shri Shailendra Kumar Joshi. The Additional Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances Ms.Vasudha Mishra presented the Vote of Thanks.

Earlier, the two Ministers jointly inaugurated an IT Exhibition where the e-Governance projects of various State Governments and the Centre were displayed. The theme of the Conference this year is, ‘Technology for accelerating Development’. Panel discussions will be held on four themes: Building User Experience, Universalization and Replication and Governing e-Governance, e-Governance Good/ Best Practices and Emerging Technologies. The theme of the Wrap up Session will be ‘Synergising Role of National and State Governments’.

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North- Eastern Region, MoS PMO, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space Dr. Jitendra Singh will address the Valedictory Session tomorrow and present the National e-Governance Awards 2018 in 8 categories concerning various aspects of e-Governance comprising of Gold and Silver in each category.

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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Labour & Employment
27-February, 2018 10:54 IST
New Facilities for UAN- Aadhar Linking Introduces By EPFO

Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has introduced UAN-Aadhaar linking facility for the convenience of members using EPFO Link in UMANG Mobile App. This is in addition to the existing web facility already available at EPFO’s website www.epfindia.gov.in >> Online Services >> e-KYC Portal>> LINK UAN AADHAAR.

The facility on e-KYC Portal has further added a new feature to link UAN with Aadhaar online using biometric credentials. Using the aforesaid facilities, EPFO members can link their UAN with Aadhaar as under:

For using this facility with UMANG APP, Member will have to provide his/her UAN. An OTP will be sent to the UAN registered Mobile Number. After OTP Verification, member will have to provide Aadhaar details and gender information (where gender information is not available against UAN). Another OTP will be sent on Aadhaar Registered Mobile Number and/or email. After OTP verification, Aadhaar will be linked with UAN where UAN and Aadhaar details are matched.

For using this facility through E-KYC Portal, Member will have to provide his/her UAN. An OTP will be sent to the UAN registered Mobile Number. After OTP Verification, member will have to provide Aadhaar details, gender information (where gender information is not available against UAN) and select Aadhaar verification method (Using Mobile/email based OTP /using Biometrics). Another OTP will be sent on Aadhaar Registered Mobile Number and/or email or Biometric will be captured using Registered Biometric Device. After verification, Aadhaar will be linked with UAN where UAN and Aadhaar details are matched.

Moving towards Digital India, EPFO has also launched e-Nomination facility for filing nomination form by the member. This functionality is available at Member Interface of EPFO Unified Portal (https://unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in/memberinterface/). Any member having activated and Aadhaar seeded UAN, can avail this facility.

This functionality is independent from employer. After giving nomination details online, member has to digitally sign the nomination. Aadhaar based eSign is being used for digital signing of nomination form. Aadhaar based eSign is being provided to members free of cost by EPFO. Only member’s mobile number should be linked with Aadhaar. This functionality will also be made available on UMANG mobile app soon.



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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Finance
27-February, 2018 17:48 IST
GST Revenue Collections for month of January 2018 (received in January/February upto 25th February) stand at Rs.86,318 crores;

1.03 crore taxpayers have been registered under GST so far till 25th February, 2018. So far 17.65 lakh dealers got registered as composition dealers.

Total Revenue Collection under GST: The last date for filing of GSTR 3B return for the month of January 2018 was 20th February 2018. The total Revenue received under GST for the month of January 2018 (received in January/February up to 25th February,2018) has been Rs. 86,318 crores. 1.03 crore taxpayers have been registered under GST so far till 25th February, 2018. So far 17.65 lakh dealers got registered as Composition

Dealers. Out of these, 1.23 lakh Composition Dealers have opted-out of the Composition Scheme and have thus become regular taxpayers. Thus, till 25th February, 2018, there are 16.42 lakh Composition Dealers which are required to file returns every Quarter and the rest of 87.03 lakh taxpayers are required to file monthly returns.

57.78 lakh GSTR 3B returns have been filed for the month of January, 2018 till 25th February, 2018. This is 69 percent of total taxpayers which are required to file monthly returns. State-wise details of taxpayers registered and returns filed in February 2018 for the month of January 2018 is at Annexure.

Revenue of States: Of the Rs. 86,318 crores collected under GST for the month of February, 2018 (up to 25th February), Rs. 14,233 crores have been collected as CGST, Rs.19,961 crores has been collected as SGST, Rs. 43,794 crore has been collected as IGST and Rs. 8,331 crores has been collected as Compensation Cess. Further, Rs. 11,327 crores is being transferred from IGST to CGST account and Rs. 13,479 crores is being transferred from IGST to SGST account by way of Settlement of Funds on account of cross utilization of IGST credit for payment of CGST and SGST respectively or due to inter State B2C transactions. Thus, a total amount of Rs. 24,806 crores is being transferred from IGST to CGST/SGST account by way of settlement. Thus, the total collection of CGST and SGST for the month of February, 2018 (up to 25th February) is Rs. 25,560 crores and Rs. 33,440 crores respectively, including transfers by way of settlement.

Click here to see the Annexure



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Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
27-February, 2018 18:02 IST
Dr Jitendra Singh presents National e-Governance Awards in Hyderabad

'Ease of governance' linked with 'ease of living': Dr Jitendra Singh

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh presented the National e-governance Awards during the valedictory session of the two-day 21st National Conference on e-Governance in Hyderabad today. He presented 19 awards in 8 categories for their commending efforts in use of technology. In each category, the gold carried Rs.2 Lakh cash prize & citation and silver carried Rs. one Lakh award.

Addressing the concluding session of the Conference, Dr Jitendra Singh said that the main aim of e-governance should be ‘ease of governance’ leading to ‘ease of living’ of people. This is essential for the emergence of a ‘New India’ that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi envisages, he added. He further said that the Government had taken over with the commitment to give "maximum governance, minimum government" and at the same time, switch-over to e-Governance.

Dr Jitendra Singh said that the regional conferences organised by the DARPG indicate that the Ministry of Personnel has taken the conferences out of National Capital Delhi and moved to different places of country. In our successful bid to hold Regional Conferences on Governance, the Ministry in the last three years has covered venues such as Guwahati, Jammu, Nagpur, Chandigarh, Visakhapatnam, Jaipur and Hyderabad.

Highlighting the achievements of Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG), Dr Jitendra Singh said that CPGRAMS portal has emerged as a role model, not only receiving nearly seven-times more number of complaints compared to earlier years, but also registering about 90% disposal on an average. He said the Department received 16 lakh grievances this year compared to 2 lakh grievances 3 years ago, because of better response from the government. He called upon the State governments to follow the best practices developed by the DARPG and the Ministry of Personnel.

In the last three years, he said, the Ministry of Personnel and the DARPG have not only become very much visible, but have established credentials as important organs of the government which innovates, researches and evolves models for others to follow. It has grown as a true R&D (Research & Development) wing, living up to the Mantra of "reform, perform and transform", he added. He also mentioned some other government decisions like doing away with attestation of documents by gazetted officers, no interview for lower level posts in the government and scrapping of more than 1500 obsolete rules. These measures helped in ease of living of citizens, he added.

Dr Jitendra Singh laid out the Government's target of universalizing Digital Literacy by the year 2022 and the optimum use of JAM trinity based on "Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile". He also enumerated several unique initiatives taken in last three years, which include a total revolutionizing change in the format of PM Excellence Awards and switch-over to Pension Portal. Pointing out the youth demographic profile of the country, the Minister called for making government schemes youth-centric that would assist in creating a ‘New India’. He said Prime Minister's Excellence Awards have induced competition among young bureaucrats to perform better.

During the function, the awards were presented in various categories including Excellence in Government Process Re-engineering, Outstanding performance in citizen centric service delivery, Innovations in existing projects of Government Departments other than PSUs, Use of Spatial Technology and GIS in e-Governance, Innovative Use of ICT by Central Government PSUs/State Government PSUs, Outstanding initiative in e-Governance by Academic/Research Institutions and NGOs, including Cooperatives/ Federations/Society, Replication/Adaptation of the best e-Governance projects/ practices awarded during 01.04.2014 to 31.03.2017 and Best District level initiative through ICT in (i) North East States; (ii) Hill States + UTs; (iii) Other States.

Secretary DARPG Shri K.V. Eapen, Addl. Secretary DARPG Ms Vasudha Mishra and Addl. Chief Secretary Telangana Shri Ajay Mishra also spoke on the occasion.

The conference was inaugurated yesterday in Hyderabad. The theme of the Conference this year was, ‘Technology for accelerating Development’.





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The Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (I/C), Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh presenting the Awards, at the two-day “National Conference on e-Governance”, in Hyderabad on February 27, 2018.

The Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (I/C), Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh presenting the Awards, at the two-day “National Conference on e-Governance”, in Hyderabad on February 27, 2018.

The Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (I/C), Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh addressing the valedictory session of the two-day “National Conference on e-Governance”, in Hyderabad on February 27, 2018.

The Director, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, Dr. Rathin Roy delivering the 28th lecture of the “Lecture Series”, organised by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), on the topic “Why fiscal rectitude matters”, in New Delhi on February 27, 2018. The Central Vigilance Commissioner, Shri K.V. Chowdary and the Vigilance Commissioner, Dr. T.M. Bhasin are also seen.

 

[Hindustani78]

The Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology and Law & Justice, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad meeting the Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh, in New Delhi on February 28, 2018.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Finance
28-February, 2018 17:17 IST
The Union Finance Minister, Shri Arun Jaitley to inaugurate the Centralized GP Fund Module of PFMS for all the Central Government Employees and ePPO Module of PFMS for complete end –to –end electronic processing of Pension cases, on the occasion of the 42nd Civil Accounts Day tomorrow in National Capital.

The Union Finance Minister, Shri Arun Jaitley has kindly consented to be the Chief Guest at the Inaugural Session of a function organised tomorrow, 1st March, 2018 in national capital to mark the 42nd Civil Accounts Day .On the occasion , the Finance Minister, Shri Jaitley will inaugurate the Centralized GP Fund Module of PFMS for all the Central Government Employees. The centralized GPF module meets a long standing demand of the Central Government Employees for a mapping of GPF Accounts with the unique Employee ID thereby facilitating online application for GPF advances and withdrawals with online access to the employee’s current GPF balances. The module will streamline GPF accounting and transfer of balances.

During the Inaugural Session, the Finance Minister, Shri Jaitley will also inaugurate the ePPO module of PFMS for complete end –to –end electronic processing of Pension cases. The ePPO includes the integration of the BHAVISHYA application of the Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare and the PARAS application of CPAO with PFMS for seamless processing of Pension cases thereby eliminating delays and errors involved in manual processing.

A function is being organized on March 1, 2018 at D.S. Kothari Auditorium, DRDO Bhawan Complex, New Delhi to mark the 42nd Civil Accounts Day.

The Union Finance Minister, Shri Arun Jaitley has kindly consented to be the Chief Guest at the Inaugural Session from 10:30 AM -11:30 AM. The Union Minister of State for Finance, Shri Pon. Radhakrishnan will preside over this Session. The Secretary (Expenditure), Shri A. N. Jha and the Controller General of Accounts(CGA), Shri Anthony Lianzuala will be the other dignitaries at the Inaugural Session.

It may be mentioned here that the Union Finance Minister, Shri Arun Jaitley had earlier graced the 40th Civil Accounts Day function on March 1, 2016 in which the Hon’ble President of India was the Chief Guest. The Union Finance Minister, Shri Jaitley had also very graciously inaugurated the ‘Mahalekha Niyantrak Bhawan’, the new building of this office on September 14, 2016.

Earlier, the Finance Minister had been kind enough to launch the mandatory use of PFMS for Central –Sector schemes monitoring (Oct 2015), the Non –Tax Receipts Portal (NTRP) (Feb 2016) and the Web Responsive Pensioners’ Service of the Central Pension Accounting Office (CPAO) (September 2016).

The Union Government initiated a major reform in Public Financial Management in 1976. The Audit and Accounts functions were separated by relieving the Comptroller and Auditor General of his responsibility of preparation of Union Government accounts. The accounting function was brought directly under the control of the Executive. Consequently, the Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) was established. The ICAS was carved out from the Indian Audit & Accounts Service (IA & AS), initially through the promulgation of an Ordinance amending the C & AG’s (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) Amendment Act, 1976. Later on, the Departmentalization of Union Accounts (Transfer of Personnel) Act, 1976 was enacted by Parliament and assented to by Hon’ble President of India on 8th April, 1976. The Act was deemed to have come into force with effect from 1st March, 1976. Accordingly, the ICAS is celebrating March 1 every year as the “Civil Accounts Day”.

Since its inception the ICAS has steadily grown in stature and now plays an important role in the management of public finances of the Union Government

Other highlights of the 42nd Civil Accounts Day function are

* Inauguration of the Centralised GPF and ePPO modules of PFMS

Reforms in public financial management are a continuous process. Structural changes take place in the economy and in the functioning of government which demand accounting data on public finances to be available to decision makers, often on real time basis. This demand for faster information can only be met through adoption of technology. Recognizing this need, the Service has since its inception, been a pioneer in the use of Information Technology in Payments, Accounting and Financial Reporting.

* Keynote address by Shri N. K. Singh, Chairman, Fifteenth Finance Commission (FFC)

Shri N. K. Singh, Chairman, FFC will deliver the keynote address at the Plenary Session from 12.00 PM to 12.50 PM on the topic “Managing Public Finances for a resurgent India”. The Address will be of tremendous significance in the context of fiscal discipline efforts of the Union and the States that would be required to achieve fiscal consolidation.



* Address by Shri Rajnish Kumar, Chairman, State Bank of India

The post-lunch session (2:00 PM -2:50 PM) will feature a talk by Shri Rajnish Kumar, Chairman, State Bank of India on the topics “Leveraging Information Technology for an efficient receipt and payment system of the Government of India”. As the head of the premier accredited and aggregator bank for Government business, the views of Chairman, SBI on the subject would be of immense significance especially in the context of implementation of the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) with a seamless integration with the banking systems.

• Concluding session

This Session will be an Open House Session where Service Officers will interact for a way forward on issues relating to Accounts, IT and Internal Audit.

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Ministry of Finance
28-February, 2018 15:45 IST
Monthly Account of the Government of India up to January 2018 for the Financial Year 2017-18 consolidated; Government of India received Rs.11,63,386 crore (71.7% of corresponding RE 17-18 of Total Receipts) upto January 2018;

Rs.4,81,477 crore transferred to State Governments as Devolution of Share of Taxes by Government of India in this period which is Rs. 58,631 crore higher than the corresponding period of last year 2016-17.


The Monthly Account of the Union Government of India upto January 2018 has been consolidated and reports published. The highlights are given below:-





The Government of India has received Rs.11,63,386 crore (71.7% of corresponding RE 17-18 of Total Receipts) upto January 2018 comprising Rs. 9,71,323 crore Tax Revenue (Net to Centre), Rs.1,24,364 crore of Non Tax Revenue and Rs.67,699 crore of Non Debt Capital Receipts. Non Debt Capital Receipts consists of Recovery of Loans (Rs.12,156 crore) and Disinvestment of PSUs (Rs.55,543 crore).





Rs.4,81,477 crore has been transferred to State Governments as Devolution of Share of Taxes by Government of India in this period which is Rs.58,631 crore higher than the corresponding period of last year 2016-17.





Total Expenditure incurred by the Government of India is Rs.18,39,945 crore (83.0% of corresponding RE 17-18), out of which Rs.15,75,780 crore is on Revenue Account and Rs.2,64,165 crore is on Capital Account.Out of the total Revenue Expenditure, Rs.4,14,238 crore is on account of Interest Payments and Rs.2,18,581 crore is on account of Major Subsidies.





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Ministry of Tourism
28-February, 2018 15:38 IST
9.9% Growth in Foreign Exchange Earnings (In Rupee Terms) In January 2018 over January 2017

Foreign Exchange Earnings (In Rupee and Us $ Terms) Through Tourism In India In January 2018

Ministry of Tourism estimates monthly Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) through Tourism in India, both in Rupee and Dollar terms based on the credit data of Travel Head from Balance of Payments of Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

The highlights of the estimates of FEEs from tourism in India for January 2018 are as below:-

Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) through Tourism (in Rs. terms)

• FEEs during the month of January 2018 were Rs. 17,725 crore as compared to Rs. 16,135 crore in January 2017 and Rs. 13,671 crore in January 2016.

• The growth rate in FEEs in rupee terms in January 2018 over January 2017 was 9.9%, compared to the growth of 18.0% in January 2017 over January 2016.

Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) through Tourism (in US $ terms)

• FEEs in US$ terms during the month of January 2018 were US$ 2.786 billion as compared to FEEs of US$ 2.370 billion during the month of January 2017 and US$ 2.032 billion in January 2016.
• The growth rate in FEEs in US$ terms in January 2018 over January 2017 was 17.6% compared to the growth of 16.6% in January 2017 over January 2016.

Note: Estimates of FEEs are based on following factors:-

1. Per capita FEEs during Jan-Mar 2017= RBI’s credit figure for travel (Jan-Mar 17)/FTAs (Jan-Mar 17)
2. FTAs for January 2018.
3. Inflation factor based on CPI (U) for January 2018.

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[Hindustani78]

The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri Arun Jaitley at the 4th Annual Pension Conference on the theme ‘Creating an Inclusive and Sustainable Pension System in India: Opportunities and Challenges’, organised by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), in New Delhi on February 28, 2018.

The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri Arun Jaitley launching the ‘Pension Sanchay’- a Financial Literacy and Pension Planning website, at the 4th Annual Pension Conference on the theme ‘Creating an Inclusive and Sustainable Pension System in India: Opportunities and Challenges’, organised by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), in New Delhi on February 28, 2018.

The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri Arun Jaitley releasing a CRISIL compiled Report on ‘Financial Inclusion and Pension Coverage’, at the 4th Annual Pension Conference on the theme ‘Creating an Inclusive and Sustainable Pension System in India: Opportunities and Challenges’, organised by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), in New Delhi on February 28, 2018.

The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri Arun Jaitley addressing the 4th Annual Pension Conference on the theme ‘Creating an Inclusive and Sustainable Pension System in India: Opportunities and Challenges’, organised by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), in New Delhi on February 28, 2018.

Ministry of Finance
28-February, 2018 18:40 IST
Need to develop India into an insured society: Shri Arun Jaitley

4th Pension Conference on Implementation of National Pension System held in New Delhi

The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri Arun Jaitley today said that there is now a great need to evolve India into an insured society. Speaking at the Fourth Annual Conference on Pension organized by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) here today, the Finance Minister emphasized the need for providing for old age income security and pension facility to the citizens in response to the evolving demographic profile, changing socio-economic structure and limitations on the fiscal resources. He added that the dependency of senior citizens is a grave challenge for the society and it can be met with evolution of concept of pension and its expansion.

On the occasion, the Finance Minister, Shri Jaitley inaugurated the PFRDA’s website on financial literacy and pension planning- ‘Pension Sanchay’ ( www.pensionsanchay.org.in ). He also released a report titled- ‘Security for Seniors- Opportunities and Challenges for creating an Inclusive and Sustainable Pension System in India” prepared by PFRDA in association with CRISIL.



The Theme of the Conference was ‘Creating an Inclusive and Sustainable Pension System in India: Opportunities and Challenges. Deliberations were held during two technical sessions- (i) Channelizing savings for old age income security and (ii) Pension Payouts: The Road Ahead. The top seven performing APY-SPs (Banks) were awarded for their contribution in bringing subscribers under the social security net of APY under the ‘Makers of Excelence campaign.



Chairman, PFRDA, Shri Hemant Contractor, in his Key Note Address said it is PFRDA’s endeavour to extend the pension cover to all those who do not have it. He informed the gathering that PFRDA is considering an auto enrolment system under National Pension System (NPS), with an element of soft compulsion, in which all the employees working in government identified sectors/industries in unorganized sector would be automatically covered unless they choose to opt out. He further assured that PFRDA will ensure to take all steps to increase the outreach of NPS and Atal Pension Yojana (APY) to meet the mandate under PFRDA Act.

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[Hindustani78]

The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri Arun Jaitley lighting the lamp at the celebrations of the 42nd Civil Accounts Day-2018, in New Delhi on March 01, 2018. The Secretary, Department of Expenditure, Shri Ajay Narayan Jha is also seen.

The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri Arun Jaitley at the celebrations of the 42nd Civil Accounts Day-2018, in New Delhi on March 01, 2018. The Secretary, Department of Expenditure, Shri Ajay Narayan Jha and other dignitaries are also seen.

The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri Arun Jaitley launching the Centralized GP Fund Module of PFMS for all the Central Government Employees, at the celebrations of the 42nd Civil Accounts Day-2018, in New Delhi on March 01, 2018. The Secretary, Department of Expenditure, Shri Ajay Narayan Jha and other dignitaries are also seen.

The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri Arun Jaitley launching the ePPO Module of PFMS for complete end-to-end electronic processing of Pension cases, at the celebrations of the 42nd Civil Accounts Day-2018, in New Delhi on March 01, 2018. The Secretary, Department of Expenditure, Shri Ajay Narayan Jha is also seen.

The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri Arun Jaitley addressing at the celebrations of the 42nd Civil Accounts Day-2018, in New Delhi on March 01, 2018.

The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri Arun Jaitley addressing at the celebrations of the 42nd Civil Accounts Day-2018, in New Delhi on March 01, 2018.

Ministry of Finance
01-March, 2018 13:04 IST
CBDT achieves important milestone of 200 APAs

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) entered into seven more Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) during the month of February, 2018. All the seven are Unilateral APAs. With the signing of these Agreements, CBDT has crossed an important milestone of having signed 200 APAs.

The total number of APAs entered into by the CBDT till date has gone up to 203. This includes 185 Unilateral APAs and 18 Bilateral APAs. In the current financial year, the CBDT has entered into 51 APAs so far (44 Unilateral APAs and 7 Bilateral APAs).

The seven APAs signed in February pertain to the Pharmaceuticals, Automobiles, Financial and Food & Beverages sectors of the economy. The international transactions covered in these agreements include Manufacturing, Provision of Software Development Services, Provision of IT enabled Services, Payment of Royalty, Provision of Contract R&D Services, Provision of Marketing Support Services, Distribution, AMP Expenses, Provision of Engineering Design Support Services, Provision of Sourcing Support Services, Payment of Interest, etc.

The APA provisions were introduced in the Income-tax Act, 1961 in 2012 and the “Rollback” provisions were introduced in 2014. The APA scheme endeavours to provide certainty to taxpayers in the domain of transfer pricing by specifying the methods of pricing and setting the prices of international transactions in advance.

The progress of the APA scheme strengthens the Government’s resolve of fostering a non-adversarial tax regime. The Indian APA programme has been appreciated nationally and internationally for being able to address complex transfer pricing issues in a fair and transparent manner. It has contributed significantly towards improving the ease of doing business in India.

Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
01-March, 2018 13:24 IST
ACC appointments

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the following appointments:

(i) Shri Tarun Sridhar, IAS (HP 84), presently in the Cadre as Secretary, Deptt. of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries;

(ii) Shri Brij Raj Shanna, IAS (JK 84), Special Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs as Special Secretary, Department of Border Management;

(iii) Shri Jaideep Govind, IAS (MP 84), Special Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs as Special Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Rural Development;

(iv) Shri R. Subrahmanyam, IAS (AP 85), Special Secretary, Department of Higher Education as Secretary, Department of Higher Education on superannuation of the present incumbent Shri K.K.Sharma, IAS (UT 83) on 28.02.2018;

(v) Shri Inder Jit Singh, IAS (KL 85), Additional Secretary, Coordination, Cabinet Secretariat as Coordination, Cabinet Secretariat;

(vi) Shri P.Raghavendra Rao, IAS (HY 85), presently in the Cadre, as Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals;

(vii) Shri Surendra Nath Tripathi, IAS (OR 85), Special Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare as Secretary, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs;

(viii) Shri Anil Gopishankar Mukim, IAS (GJ 85), presently in the Cadre, as Secretary Ministry of Mines on superannuation of the present incumbent Shri Arun Kumar on 31.03.2018;

(ix) Shri C. Chandramouli, IAS (TN 85), presently in the Cadre, as Secretary, Depanment of Personnel & Training on superannuation of the current incumbent Shri Ajay Mittal, IAS (HP 82) on 28.022018;

(x) Shri S.C.Pandey, IA&AS 83, Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion as Special Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, by temporarily upgrading the post;

(xi) Smt Shalini Prasad, IAS (UP 85), Additional Secretary, Ministry of Power as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, by temporarily upgrading a vacant post of Joint Secretary in the Ministry;

(xii) Shri Bhupendra Singh, IAS (UP 85), Chairperson, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority as Chairperson, National Authority for Chemical Weapons Convention, Cabinet Secretariat, in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary;

(xiii) Shri Sanjeev Gupta, IAS (HP 85), Chief Executive Officer, National e-Govemance Division as Additional Secretary, Inter-State Council Secretariat;

(xiv) Shri Sat Pal Chouhan, IES 83, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs;

(xv) Smt Gargi Kaul, IA&AS 84, Joint Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Civil Aviation as Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Civil Aviation by temporarily 0upgrading the post;

(xvi) Shri Anil Gulati, IRPS 84, Joint Secretary, Department of Legal Affairs and incharge Central Agency Section as Additional Secretary, Department of Legal Affairs and in-charge Central Agency Section, by temporarily upgrading the post;

(xvii) Smt Shefali Shah, IRS (IT) 85, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Culture, by temporarily upgrading the post;

(xviii) Shri Sanjay Chadha, IRSME 85, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce as Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce by temporarily upgrading the post;

(xix) Shri Subash Chandra, IAS (KN 86), presently in the Cadre as Additional Secretary, Department of Defence Production;

(xx) Shri Bipin Bihari Mallick, IAS (MH 86), Additional Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs as Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Culture, by temporarily upgrading a vacant post of Joint Secretary, within the Ministry;

(xxi) Shri Shambhu Singh, IAS (MN 86), presently in the Cadre as Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways;

(xxii) Shri Bimbadhar Pradhan, IAS (BH 87), Adviser, National Disaster Management Authority as Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare;

(xxiii) Shri Debashish Panda, IAS (UP 87), presently in the Cadre, as Additional Secretary, Department of Financial Services;

(xxiv) Smt Leena Nandan, IAS (UP 87), Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways;

(xxv) Shri B.Anand, IAS (TN 87), Joint Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs as Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser, Department of Biotechnology and Ministry of Earth Sciences;

(xxvi) Shri Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, IAS (TG 87), Additional Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs as Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga;

(xxvii) Shri Pankaj Kumar, IAS (NL 87), presently in the Cadre, as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology;

(xxviii) Shri Praveen Garg, IAS (MP 88), Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs as Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change;

(xxix) Shri Bidyut Bihari Swain, IAS (GJ 88), presently in the Cadre, as Additional Secretary, Departnent of Commerce;

(xxx) Smt Sarita Mittal, CSS, Joint Secretary, Department of Health Research as Additional Secretary, Department of Health Research, by temporarily upgrading the post.

The ACC has also approved in-situ upgradation of the following officers as a measure personal to them:

(i) Shri Anup Wadhawan, IAS (UK 85), Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce as Special Secretary, Department of Commerce, by temporarily upgrading the post;

(ii) Shri M. M. Kutty, IAS (UT 85), Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs as Special Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, by temporarily upgrading the post;

(iii) Shri Sumanta Chaudhari, IAS (WB 85), Managing Director. SFAC as Managing Director, Small Farmers' Agri-business Consortium (SFAC) in the rank and pay of Secretary, by temporarily upgrading the post;

(iv) Shri Chabilendra Roul, IAS (PB 85), Additional Secretary. Department of Agricultural Research and Education as Special Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education, by temporarily upgrading the post;

(v) Shri Sailesh, IAS (AM 85), Registrar General of India as Registrar General of India in the rank and pay of Secretary;

(vi) Shri T.K. Manoj Kumar, IAS (KL 87), Joint Secretary, Warehousing Development & Regulatory Authority as Additional Secretary. Warehousing Development & Regulatory Authority, by temporarily upgrading the post;

(vii) Shri Arun Singhal, IAS (UP 87), Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare by temporarily upgrading the post;

(viii) Shri Dharmendra Singh Gangwar, IAS (BH 88), Joint Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, by temporarily upgrading the post.



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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Finance
01-March, 2018 16:16 IST
Finance Minister Inaugurates GPF and EPPO Modules on 42nd Civil Accounts Day ; FM: Government Accounting System needs to be Error Free Since The Government Informs The Nation on The State of Public Finances

The Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Shri Arun Jaitley today said that there is a certain amount of sanctity which must remain attached to the Government Accounting System.He said that the Government’s word on its own accounting system must never be questioned. Delivering the Inaugural Address at the 42nd Civil Accounts Day function here in national capital today, the Finance Minister said that while there are Government Departments that can function with a fairly high amount of accuracy, the Civil Accounts Department is one that cannot afford to err because a small error can lay a huge foot prints. He further said that the accounts need to be error free since the Government informs the nation on the state of public finances.Therefore, the Finance Minister, Shri Jaitley said that sanctity of work is important and involves high level of efficiency which adds to the integrity of the Government. He said that the Accounting System should never come under questioning and in this regard, he is happy to note that the sanctity and credibility of the Accounting System and the Organization has been maintained over the years.



The Finance Minister, Shri Jaitley appreciated the effective use of technology and the tools employed by the CGA organization and Indian Civil Accounts Service in particular which has made this transformation possible.Through this use of technology, he said that every rupee of the Government is accounted for and can be tracked which adds up to the overall efficiency of the Government, and also leads to the effective utilization of Government money. The Finance Minister expressed his happiness that the Accounting System has also been fully integrated with the GST Network, the RBI and the banks which has been instrumental in providing timely and reconciled reports on collections of CGST, SGST and IGST etc. The Finance Minister ,Shri Jaitley also expressed his satisfaction that Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) has been able to successfully bring about the important changes and contributed to the changes in Government functioning.

On the occasion,the Finance Minister,Shri Jaitley also inaugurated the Centralized GP Fund Module of PFMS for all the Central Government Employeesand ePPO module of PFMS for complete end–to–end electronic processing of Pension cases.

The centralized GPF module meets a long standing demand of the Central Government Employees for a mapping of GPF Accounts with the unique Employee ID thereby facilitating online application for GPF advances and withdrawals with online access to the employee’s current GPF balances. The module will streamline GPF accounting and transfer of balances. The ePPO meanwhile includes the integration of the BHAVISHYA application of the Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare and the PARAS application of CPAO with PFMS for seamless processing of Pension cases thereby eliminating delays and errors involved in manual processing.

Sh. Ajay Narayan Jha, Secretary (Expenditure), Ministry of Finance, Shri Rajnish Kumar, Chairman, State Bank of India, Mr. Anthony Lianzuala, Controller General of Accounts (CGA) and senior officers of the Finance Ministry were present on the occasion.

Background:

The Union Government initiated a major reform in Public Financial Management in 1976. The Audit and Accounts functions were separated by relieving the Comptroller and Auditor General of his responsibility of preparation of Union Government accounts. The accounting function was brought directly under the control of the Executive. Consequently, the Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) was established. The ICAS was carved out from the Indian Audit & Accounts Service (IA & AS), initially through the promulgation of an Ordinance amending the C & AG’s (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) Amendment Act, 1976. Later on, the Departmentalization of Union Accounts (Transfer of Personnel) Act, 1976 was enacted by Parliament and assented to by Hon’ble President of India on 8th April, 1976. The Act was deemed to have come into force with effect from 1st March, 1976. Accordingly, the ICAS is celebrating March 1 every year as the “Civil Accounts Day”.

The Union Government initiated a major reform in Public Financial Management in 1976. The Audit and Accounts functions were separated by relieving the Comptroller and Auditor General of his responsibility of preparation of Union Government accounts. The accounting function was brought directly under the control of the Executive. Consequently, the Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) was established. The ICAS was carved out from the Indian Audit & Accounts Service (IA & AS), initially through the promulgation of an Ordinance amending the C & AG’s (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) Amendment Act, 1976. Later on, the Departmentalization of Union Accounts (Transfer of Personnel) Act, 1976 was enacted by Parliament and assented to by Hon’ble President of India on 8th April, 1976. The Act was deemed to have come into force with effect from 1st March, 1976. Accordingly, the ICAS is celebrating March 1 every year as the Civil Accounts Day. Since its inception the ICAS has steadily grown in stature and now plays an important role in the management of public finances of the Union Government.

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Ministry of Finance
01-March, 2018 13:04 IST
CBDT achieves important milestone of 200 APAs

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) entered into seven more Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) during the month of February, 2018. All the seven are Unilateral APAs. With the signing of these Agreements, CBDT has crossed an important milestone of having signed 200 APAs.



The total number of APAs entered into by the CBDT till date has gone up to 203. This includes 185 Unilateral APAs and 18 Bilateral APAs. In the current financial year, the CBDT has entered into 51 APAs so far (44 Unilateral APAs and 7 Bilateral APAs).



The seven APAs signed in February pertain to the Pharmaceuticals, Automobiles, Financial and Food & Beverages sectors of the economy. The international transactions covered in these agreements include Manufacturing, Provision of Software Development Services, Provision of IT enabled Services, Payment of Royalty, Provision of Contract R&D Services, Provision of Marketing Support Services, Distribution, AMP Expenses, Provision of Engineering Design Support Services, Provision of Sourcing Support Services, Payment of Interest, etc.



The APA provisions were introduced in the Income-tax Act, 1961 in 2012 and the “Rollback” provisions were introduced in 2014. The APA scheme endeavours to provide certainty to taxpayers in the domain of transfer pricing by specifying the methods of pricing and setting the prices of international transactions in advance.



The progress of the APA scheme strengthens the Government’s resolve of fostering a non-adversarial tax regime. The Indian APA programme has been appreciated nationally and internationally for being able to address complex transfer pricing issues in a fair and transparent manner. It has contributed significantly towards improving the ease of doing business in India.

 

[Hindustani78]

Cabinet
01-March, 2018 18:52 IST
Cabinet approves Establishment of National Financial Reporting Authority

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the proposal for establishment of National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) and creation of one post of Chairperson, three posts of full-time Members and one post of Secretary for NFRA.

The decision aims at establishment of NFRA as an independent regulator for the auditing profession which is one of the key changes brought in by the Companies Act, 2013. The inclusion of the provision in the Act was on the specific recommendations of the Standing Committee on Finance (in its 21st report).

Impact:

The decision is expected to result in improved foreign/domestic investments, enhancement of economic growth, supporting the globalisation of business by meeting international practices, and assist in further development of audit profession.

Jurisdiction:

The jurisdiction of NFRA for investigation of Chartered Accountants and their firms under section 132 of the Act would extend to listed companies and large unlisted public companies, the thresholds for which shall be prescribed in the Rules. The Central Government can also refer such other entities for investigation where public interest would be involved.

The inherent regulatory role of ICAI as provided for in the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 shall continue in respect of its members in general and specifically with respect to audits pertaining to private limited companies, and public unlisted companies below the threshold limit to be notified in the rules.

The Quality Review Board (QRB) will also continue quality audit in respect of private limited companies, public unlisted companies below prescribed threshold and also with respect to audit of those companies that may be delegated to QRB by NFRA. Further, ICAI shall continue to play its advisory role with respect to accounting and auditing standards and policies by making its recommendations to NFRA.

Background:

The need for establishing NFRA has arisen on account of the need felt across various jurisdictions in the world, in the wake of accounting scams, to establish independent regulators, independent from those it regulates, for enforcement of auditing standards and ensuring the quality of audits to strengthen the independence of audit firms, quality of audits and, therefore, enhance investor and public confidence in financial disclosures of companies.

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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
02-March, 2018 14:14 IST
Clarification Regarding Release of Funds to Prasar Bharti

It has come to the notice of the Ministry that a deliberate, sinister, motivated campaign has been launched by some elements to wrongfully tarnish the image of the Ministry of I&B by reporting that money to Prasar Bharti is not being released after December, 2017 as a retaliation to Prasar Bharti not obeying certain dictates of the Ministry. The misinformation is based on ill-will and incorrect appreciation with half baked facts and is tantamount to causing loss of reputation of the Government in public eyes. It is patently defamatory in nature. Hence, it is important to bring the following facts to light:

Fiscal prudence and accountability is the very fulcrum of the functioning of any Government organisation. Prasar Bharti is as much bound by the General Financial Rules (GFR) of the Government of India as any Ministry or any organisation receiving grants-in-aid from the Government. As per the provision of GFR, any autonomous organisation receiving Grant-in-Aid must sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry, clearly bringing out the physical and financial targets with timelines for activities to be done by utilising the said grant during that financial year. For the record, irrespective of repeated reminders from the Ministry, no MoU has been signed by Prasar Bharti.

As an example of how fiscal accountability leads to curbing of wasteful expenditure, the following point illustrates it:

By bringing in Human Resource Information System (HRIS) in Prasar Bharti, at repeated insistence of the Ministry, exact amount of expenditure on employees has been worked out and this has resulted in savings to the tune of nearly Rs. 30 cr per month for the salary head (Rs. 360 cr a year). The Sam Pitroda Committee had also suggested a number of measures such as manpower audit etc. to enhance financial discipline. Hence, we are hopeful that following similar footsteps, together a lot can be done to enhance transparency and accountability.

However, the Ministry would like to re-iterate that the Government remains committed to protect the interest of all Prasar Bharti employees.

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Ministry of Finance
01-March, 2018 19:53 IST
Enforcement Action for Fraud in GST Mumbai?; Two Businessmen arrested by Officers of CGST, Mumbai for creating fictitious invoices and availing ineligible credit?.

Officers of CGST Mumbai have arrested two businessmen for creating fictitious invoices and availing ineligible credit. The persons have been arrested for availing input tax credit on the basis of fraudulent invoices against which no actual goods were bought or sold.

The power to arrest is provided under Section 69 of the CGST Act, 2017 and is to be exercised by the Commissioner in cases of outright fraud where the amount of tax evaded or the amount of input tax credit wrongly availed exceeds Rs. 2 crore.

The Government wants to assure taxpayers that compliant taxpayers do not run the risk of facing such punitive action in carrying-out their day to day operations. The power to arrest is to be exercised where there is deliberate fraud of sizeable magnitude with intent to evade tax. It is meant to serve as a deterrent to unscrupulous elements in trade who may try to defraud the system. There are sufficient checks built into the law to ensure that inadvertent or procedural lapses do not attract severe punitive measures.

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[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/business/In...lls-telecos/article22932319.ece?homepage=true

It warns telecom operators to ensure that their retailers and agents do not indulge in any fraudulent activities.

The UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) has directed all telecom operators to provide a facility that will enable their subscribers to check if the mobile SIMs are linked with their Aadhaar number, a step to guard against any unauthorised use.

The decision was taken after the UIDAI came to know about some retailers, operators and agents of telecom companies allegedly misusing Aadhaar authentication facility to issue new SIMs or for re-verification of numbers other than that of the Aadhaar holder.

Warning telecom operators to ensure that their retailers and agents do not indulge in any fraudulent activities, the UIDAI has directed telcos to make the new facility available to subscribers by March 15.

The telcos have been asked to provide the facility, including SMS-based offering that will allow their subscribers to check whether their mobile number is linked with Aadhaar as well as information on other mobile numbers is issued or verified against that Aadhaar number.

When contacted, UIDAI CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey told PTI, “In order, for people, to know which mobile number is linked to Aadhaar, all telecom operators have been asked to provide this service to their customers by March 15.”

With over 1.2 billion residents already enrolled for the Aadhaar -- the unique 12-digit number backed by fingerprints, iris scans and certain demographic details -- the programme today is the world’s largest biometric database. Aadhaar is required as an identity proof of residents by various government and non-government entities.

For instance, the government has made it mandatory for verifying bank accounts and PANs (which helps track tax filings) to weed out black money and bring unaccounted wealth to book. The same for cellphone SIMs has been mandated to establish the identity of mobile phone users.