Laptop for Income Tax Officers, nothing for staff ??

Central Board of Direct Taxes has decided to award laptop to each and every officers of the Income Tax Dept. as incentive for achieving the target collection figure for the year 2006-07. 1% of extra collection over the target which amounts to Rs 195 Crores is being awarded as incentive. All officers of ITO and above will be getting laptop worth Rs 50,000 each. The distribution is expected to begin next week. The remaining amount is learnt to make office premises airconditioned {what supposed to be done by the Dept’s own fund} and to purchase/hire operational vehicles{which is normally used by the senior officers for their personal use}.

 

Surprisingly, the staff members are not getting anything till today. According to sources a portion of staff members may be given Rs 500/-per month to reimburse their mobile expenditure but no official communication is there. It seems that officers are only responsible for achieving the target. But the fact is this that the staff who work round the clock to help the Assessing Officers [A large number of those who can not properly turn on their computer also].

 

The promotee officers association[ITGOA] is silent on this discrimination though a number of their members, the A.O.s, P.S are denied from their part of incentive.

 

And more surprisingly the staff association [ITEF] is also not vocal about this injustice. They agitate in each and every issue of any discrimination but totally silent in this issue, probably for some vested interest.

 

The Dept. is on the way of fully computerization and it is the staff members who actually work on Departmental softwares who are not considered fit for getting the laptop. It is a pity that a large number of promotee officers who are in the fag end of their service and hardly know their own user id and password {which has been given to staff unofficially to work on his behalf} will be awarded with state of art laptop.

 

Hope the P.M. who is also in charge of Finance Ministry now will intervene and take necessary judicious action.

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