transformation in TDS admin-
istration, making India one of the
very few countries in the world
where a comprehensive solution
for withholding tax has been put
in place. During the attachment,
many officer trainees also
participated in a rejuvenating trip
to Rishikesh organized by the
Adventure Club.
The untiring efforts of
DG (Training) Smt. Gunjan
Misra, ADG-2 Sh. Madnesh K.
Mishra, our Course Team and
BPST helped to make this
attachment a thought-provoking
and enjoyable experience for all.
This issue of NADTree shares
some of the thoughts and
reminiscences of my batchmates.
Hope you enjoy reading it.
The Parliamentary Attachment
and CPC Attachment for the
68th Batch of IRS was held from
March 9-17th, 2015. It comprised
of an Appreciation Course in
Parliamentary Processes and
Procedures conducted by the
Bureau of Parliamentary Studies
and Training (BPST). Sessions on
wide-ranging topics like Budget-
ary Process and Parliamentary
Questions, and witnessing the
proceedings of the Lok Sabha
provided the officer trainees
with a mix of theoretical and
practical insights into the
functioning of the Parliament.
The officer trainees were also
addressed by the Honourable
Minister for Finance and Minister
of State (Finance), and got the
opportunity to interact with the
Chairperson, CBDT and Board
Members. These sessions
reminded us of the great
responsibility placed on our
shoulders to be competent and
honest public servants.
The highlight of the
trip was the visit to Rashtrapati
Bhavan. We are now amongst
the few who have had the
privilege to walk through the
corridors of a building which has
witnessed monumental historical
events.
In addition, officer
trainees visited CPC (TDS) and
experienced first-hand the
power of innovative ideas and
technology in bringing about a
Editorial– Kuhuk Bhushan
NADTree A P R I L , 2 0 1 5 P A R L I A M E N T A R Y A T T A C H M E N T E D I T I O N
T H E N A D T r e e T E A M
Managing Editor
Sh. Madnesh K. Mishra
Additional Director
General II
Editorial Advisors
Sh. Sunil Umap
Course Director– 68th Batch
Sh. Leyaqat Ali
Aafaqui
ACD 1– 68th Batch
Sh. Dhananjay Wanjari
ACD II– 68th Batch
Editorial Committee
Kuhuk Bhushan
Neha Sahay
Akhil Kumar
Officer-Trainees 68th Batch
MESSAGE– SH. M.K. MISHRA, ADG-II, NADT
I am very happy. I place my appreciation on record for the 68th batch of IRS and the team of
NADTree for taking over this creative initiative from their seniors and bringing out the first edition
of NADTree of the 68th Batch. Keep nurturing your creativity and shine.
MESSAGE– SH. SUNIL UMAP, COURSE DIRECTOR, 68TH BATCH, NADT
The Parliamentary Attachment makes one aware of the democratic process in practice. The articles
in this edition of NADTree show the impact of the attachment and interactions with elected
representatives and senior officers. Best of luck!
P A G E 2
Salience of the Durbar Hall –Priyanka Mashelkar
Meet the FM– Srishti Chaudhry
"When in doubt, go straight", and "Always conduct yourself in a manner so that ethics and morality are on your side" were
the initial pieces of advice offered by the Finance Minister to the fresh batch of IRS IT officers. He laid down the key
imperatives in front of the Indian economy: India needs more investment than available domestically; we need to attract in-
vestment from the outside through less taxation and adequate returns for investors; and finally - we need fair systems in the
country and an end to government discretion in attracting investors. These strategic objectives would translate into stable or
decreasing tax rates for India. He emphasized that it is very important for the IRS officers to adopt a non-adversarial approach
towards the assessees to meet this end. "Be fair, but firm", he quipped at the end. Needless to say, the officer trainees were
thrilled to meet the Finance Minister in person and were all eyes and ears during the session. This was followed by a photo
session with the FM which allowed us to capture the moment in time.
Some places tower over you, not because of their magnificence or splendour, but because they have been silent witnesses to
the passage of history. The Durbar Hall in the Rashtrapati Bhavan is one such place. From the birth of a free nation called
India, when power was transferred from the colonialists to the nationalists, to the growth of this free nation into a
constitutional democratic republic, with the swearing-in of our first democratically elected President and Prime Minister, this
majestic hall has stoically withstood the passage of an era.
It is befitting then, that we as civil servants got the opportunity to call on the Honourable President of India in this
Hall, in a way accepting the baton for the power over the purse. Time became irrelevant; the giants of the past looked on as
the present First Citizen of India welcomed the newest members of the service of the future.
After some technical talks on parliamentary procedures during the first half of the attachment, it was refreshing to listen to
Sh. Sinha, who got up from the podium to come down and address us, where he stressed on the value of integrity and
competence in our careers. He shared his personal experience where his integrity was tested, when he had to make the
difficult decision of owning up to the fact that the prestigious Baker Scholar award at Harvard had been awarded to him by
mistake. He also spoke about the importance of building up competence over a long period of time, and gave the example of
how the portion of the Budget discussion that he presented in parliament, though only thirty minutes, was the sum total of
years of gathering knowledge about budgets and finance. Overall, his visit encouraged and motivated us to also have such high
standards in our training period and careers.
Visit of MoS (Finance)- Priyanka Thomas
Interaction with CBDT Members– Akhil Saxena The interaction with the CBDT members was one of the most interesting
among all the sessions. We were excited to have the women and men
occupying the highest positions in the department in our midst. The words of
Smt. Gunjan Misra, Director General, NADT, “today, youngest members of IRS
fraternity are meeting with its senior-most members”, set the tone of the
session.
The members talked about role of IRS officers as service providers
rather than enforcers. They brought up some challenges of our job and said that
in such times, friendships made, relationships fostered and memories created
during training are of great help. They also advised us to be effective
communicators and simultaneously be sensitive towards taxpayers.
The members encouraged the OT’s to ask questions freely and the officer trainees posed questions ranging from
negative image of taxpayers to postings and members’ memories of NADT. Sh. Arun K. Jain advised us “to have a balance
between being pro-revenue and understanding situation of the assessee”. Smt. Rani Singh Nair allayed the apprehensions of
the officer trainees regarding postings by stressing that a posting does not make us, we make the postings. There were lighter
moments as well with Board members recollecting the engagement of Smt. Anita Kapur at NADT. The session was very
interactive and reassured us about our future role and responsibilities as well as possibilities for the department .
N A D T R E E
An experience of a life time –Akash Bhairannavar
P A G E 3
The attachment to the apex Law
making organisation of our
country was indeed, thought-
inducing due to the wide and
varied spectrum of intellectually-
stimulating and interactive,
informal and educative sessions
with highly experienced and
learned Members of Parliament
and officers of the Indian
Revenue Service.
Witnessing the pro-
ceedings of the Lok Sabha
Budget Session live and the
exposure to the systematic
sequencing of our country's
historical and political past
through the Parliamentary
Museum was
definitely a once-in-a-
lifetime opportunity
blessed on to the
officer trainees that
delved each one of us
into the legislative and
political processes of
India.
Further, each
one of us got to
weave threads of
bonding and connectivity with
the IRS at the meet with the
CBDT members. As the sugary
icing on the cake, the IRS Asso-
ciation Dinner was to us a
merriment.
We all will treasure the
positive experiences that we
shared with the IRS fraternity at
the dinner. All in all, our
attachment was a good learning
experience .
names of many flowers had a
distinct background. Flowers
like Mogra and Jasmine easily
captivated our eyes. Hardly
anyone had seen so many
varieties of Rose before, as
could be seen in this garden.
Equally mesmerizing
were the Long garden and
Circular garden, making our
visit to the Rashtrapati Bhavan
an unforgettable experience.
13th March was the most
memorable day for all of us.
The officer trainees had the
rare opportunity to visit the
Rashtrapati Bhavan. A part of
this visit was enjoying the
beautiful Mughal garden.
The Mughal garden
constructed in 1930s attracts a
lot of tourists every year. It is
well-maintained by the staff of
the Presidential Estate. For us,
it was an amazing experience to
see the blossoming flowers. The
arches and the geometrical
motifs which adorned the
legendary hall.
It was an honour to sit
on a designated seat and share
the seating row with the Chair-
man and the Members of the
CBDT and a great privilege to
represent the batch to the
Honourable President of India.
Standing at the podium, as my
voice echoed in the hall, I felt
the camera flashes and
cherished each and every word
spoken, for it was an
experience of a lifetime.
Though I spoke for a mere two
minutes, the run up to it
seemed like eternity.
There was no better
way to end the weeklong
Parliamentary Attachment than
in the historic Durbar Hall to
share vignettes and experience
with the first citizen of the
country, and the memories will
be etched in my heart forever.
As we were marshalled into the
Durbar Hall of the Rashtrapati
Bhavan, a marvel of the Lutyens
architecture on the Raisina Hills,
we were left spellbound as we
gazed at the magnificent
corridors, portraits, furnishings
and gateways.
Sitting below a
picturesque chandelier, on
looked by the statue of Gautam
Buddha inspired by the
Gandhara School of Art, we
were awestruck by the beautiful
The Two Minutes –Naina Karol
Visit to Mughal Garden- Chetan Kalamkar
Parliament House: A
Brief Architectural
History—Rahul Singh
- Envisioned by the
celebrated British
architect Sir Herbert
Baker,
- Initially, the Imperial
legislative chambers
were to be accommo-
dated within the Vice-
regal Palace
- Construction did
not commence until
1921 owing to
Britain’s financial crisis due to the
catastrophic First
World War. The final
cost touched Rs. 83
lakh.
- The majestic build-
ing was inaugurated
by Viceroy Irwin on
January 18, 1927.
- Built with indigenous
material and by Indian
labour
- Pays tributes to
Indian traditions such
as fountains, symbols
like ‘Chhajjas’ and
varied forms of ‘Jali’ in
marble.
P A R L I A M E N T A R Y A T T A C H M E N T E D I T I O N
lights and our mobiles were low on battery,
but we were all charged up with the camp-
fire, around which we gathered to eat, sing,
dance and play.
The next day, we visited Rajaji
National Park. There was greenery every-
where and the pleasant weather soothed
As a break from the daily routine, we
started for Rishikesh to rejoice in the
lap of the Himalayas. Our dawn broke
out in Rishikesh amidst low clouds and
a soul-refreshing breeze, and we
proceeded to the riverside camp.
In the picturesque backdrop
of the serene river, we played beach
volleyball, football and rugby. After a
quick breakfast, we geared up for the
most awaited ‘rafting in the Ganges’. It
was an experience to cherish and we
enjoyed rafting through the rapids,
plunging down the cliffs, surfing in
depths of Ganga and warming up with
Maggi on the banks. In the evening, we
witnessed the mesmerizing Aarthi
darshan in Ram Jhula and Laxman Jhula
in the serene back drop of the
Shivaliks.
After a spiritual evening, we
proceeded back to camp with cover of
darkness engulfing us. There were no
our nerves. In such a serene atmosphere
we did not mind not being able to spot
any tiger or elephant there.
As we reached Delhi, we
thanked Leyaqat sir, Wanjari sir and
organisers Prasanth and Preetam for the
wonderful time we had.
Rishikesh Trip - Deepak G.
P A G E 4