Officers under the Indian Post & Telecom Accounts and Finance Service (IP&TAFS) have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the proposition to merge with the Indian Audit and Accounts Services as a part of administrative reforms. The letter seeks to create a single account or finance service or “One Nation, One Accounts & Finance Service”.
This merging is anticipated to bring in more proficiency, transparency, and a chance of equal opportunity for all the officers involved in the managing of Audit and Account Services related work regardless of the ministry or department they have been employed at states a letter by IP&TAFS Group A Officers Association, which dates to August, 28th ’20.
In the letter addressed to the Prime Minister, the NITI Aayog, and the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the Association of the IP&TAFS has demanded the merging of five audit services. The services that are urged to be merged are:
The Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS), The IP&TAFS, The Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IAAS), The Indian Defense Accounts Service (IDAS), The Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS).
Officers of the Indian Post and Telecommunication Accounts Finance Services are selected through the Civil Services exam conducted by UPSC. They manage all the revenue related matters at the departments of telecom and post which include adjusting gross revenue liabilities, spectrum price, license fees, spectrum usage charges, etc.
Moreover, the letter also mentions the Modi government’s decision to merge eight railway services into a common Indian Railway Managerial Service (IRMS), which took place in 2019.
“We request your good office to consider the merger of various organized accounts services in Government of India and either merge all of them with the Indian Audit Accounts Service (IA&AS) as per recommendation (of the 6th Pay Commission) or create new Indian Accounts & Finance Service (IAFS) by merging all various organized accounts services except IA&AS,” the letter states.
According to CPC Recommendations, this step will lead to more effectual performance and the use of resources.
The Association said that the merger will lead to better administration of non-tax revenue and a broader work arena for the organized accounts services, resulting in better performance, states the letter.
