Revenue dept officials to be trained to use tech tools for plugging leakages: FM

Navi Mumbai: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said revenue department officials will soon be trained to use modern technology tools to plug leakages.

She also said that better utilisation of artificial intelligence tools and data deep dives can help officials detect revenue leakages.

Asserting that mischief makers gaming the system by claiming wrong refunds or creating shell companies to cause a loss to the exchequer are a rarity, Sitharaman said training officials, especially the junior ones, can be of help.

"Sooner, we will be putting through in different parts of the country... a training so that each one of you will feel comfortable using technology to assist you to make sure that leakages are plugged," Sitharaman said while addressing revenue department officials at an event at the Kharghar node here.

She hinted that existing tech company vendors may be tasked with the training imparting duties as well and added that she has already discussed the matter with Revenue Secretary Tarun Bajaj and Chairman of Central Board of Indirect Taxes (CBIC) Vivek Johri.

According to the minister, the training module to be followed by implementation in daily work will also help reduce the stress from the job for revenue department personnel who are keen to plug leakages.

Speaking at the event to inaugurate a housing project for Goods and Services Tax (GST) personnel, the finance minister was all praise for the work being done by the revenue department.

She also said the work being performed is visible every month in the robust GST collections and added that the officials who are performing well do not require any nudge.