Search Begins for Rev Secy to Succeed Incumbent Sumit Bose

Revenue Secretary Sumit Bose retires in two months at the end of March 2014 after seven years in various positions in the Finance Ministry. He is among the four officers of the 1976 IAS batch who are still in Government.

The search is on for his successor. Officers from the three batches of IAS from 1978 to 1980 are in the running for the post. The members of earlier two batches are already in the rank of Secretary, they can move to the post in a lateral shift if one of them makes it to the finishing line while the eligible ones in the 1980 batch empanelled for secretary post move up to the seat on promotion.

The Revenue Secretary is a technical post: Experience in handling the web of Income Tax, Customs, Excise and Service Tax Laws and Notifications is a must.

In addition, the officer must have the skills to handle economic crisis. Break down and emergency is the order of the day in revenue management. For example, the mismanagement of the Vodafone case by legislation with retrospective effect proved to be the undoing of Raminder Gujral. He was summarily replaced by Sumit Bose about two years ago.

A Revenue Secretary must be sufficiently strong to ride over his subordinate officers who are deeply entrenched to stone wall reform or change. He must also have a minimum one year left in service so that he can hope to do meaningful work.

Last, the head must have the integrity and moral fibre to face the money bags and power peddlers thronging the corridors of North Block. At the same time, he must help those in trouble, he should not go only by the rule book!

It is a moot point whether the government will consider these factors, specially when it has only four months before formal demise. The best qualified should be selected so that the next Government due in May this year sticks to the choice of the previous government.

A game of musical chairs for the revenue secretary post is not desirable.

- Editor -