Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) officers work round the clock to ensure there is no diversion or concealment of direct taxes. Since they mostly investigate wealthy and influential people with connections in right places, they have to tread cautiously. That is where the role of their association comes in – to ensure that the officers don’t face any difficulty in discharge of their duties – whether in terms of pressure from any quarter or their service conditions. The association keep organising various extra-curricular activities like sports meet or photo exhibitions to ensure the officers remain stress free all the time. For more details please click on the following link to watch the full interview with the IRS Association president Mr Sudhanshu Shekhar Jha, the 1991-batch officer….
Mr Jha claimed that the association provides emergency medical and financial help, especially for retired officers, such as assisting a retired officer in Gurgaon with urgent medical needs through its network. It also offers financial aid in cases of hardship or untimely deaths, supplementing government procedures for urgent needs.
The association organizes events like art and photography exhibitions, literary meets, and the All India IRS Cup, a four-day tournament in Goa that brings together 100-200 officers. These activities foster camaraderie, reduce the gap between juniors and seniors, and provide a platform for officers to express creativity and learn new techniques.
The IRS Association acts as an informal channel for gathering feedback from field officers, forming committees to study issues like new schemes or departmental reorganization, and submitting reports to the CBDT. This role augments the board’s efforts, ensuring field-level concerns are addressed.
The association focuses on collective welfare, such as addressing housing problems in certain areas, working on solutions like identifying land for construction, while avoiding individual officer issues, which are handled through the departmental hierarchy.
Mr Jha with over 33 years of service, shared that he has not felt overwhelmed by pressure, distinguishing between “desires” and actual pressure, reflecting the association’s ability to navigate sensitive situations professionally.
