Odisha has been setting new benchmarks in the field of governance, including tax administration. The achievements of the state in this field were recognized recently when Odisha was adjudged the best reformist state in the second edition of the TIOL National Taxation Award 2021. It also struck gold in GST/State VAT Category.
Odisha was selected the winner in these two categories based on the responses received from citizens/taxpayers. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik congratulated the Commissionerate of CT & GST, Odisha, on the feat. “Congratulate @Banijyakar as #Odisha has been selected to receive TIOL National Taxation Award 2021 (Gold) as the best reformist state and Gold Award in GST/State VAT Category. Odisha has been selected based on the responses received from citizens/taxpayers. #OdishaLeads,” he wrote on his Twitter handle.
The award aims at not only motivating and acknowledging the contributions of tax-friendly commissionerates and reform-minded states that have played an important role in taking the country’s economy forward, but also encouraging compliant taxpayers, tax technology service providers, active facilitators and even positive-minded fiscal journalists. All of them play a role in providing reliable feedback on taxation to the policymakers.
Odisha’s contribution to enhancing the quality of governance by bringing about administrative reforms has been acknowledged at the national level and it has become a model for other states of the country to follow. The Chief Minister’s 5T (Transparency, Technology, Teamwork, Time and Transformation) formula has been immensely successful in bringing about transformative changes in the state. One of the most important transformative initiatives of 5T, which is being directly supervised by Chief Minister’s secretary VK Pandian, is Mo Sarkar which aims at improving the quality of governance by seeking direct feedback from people.
Pandian, who happens to be the state’s first 5T secretary, has ensured that all the government departments come under the ambit of Mo Sarkar. This has helped enhance their efficiency and also made their working completely transparent. Among the most dynamic bureaucrats of the state, this young IAS officer, who acts as the eyes and ears of the five-time Chief Minister, has toured the length and breadth of the state, visiting hospitals and important project sites to ensure that work is done not only in time but also in the most efficient manner. Since the government treats people as stakeholders in governance, it continues to seek feedback from them and has been making course corrections whenever necessary.
The Chief Minister and his team have been working with missionary zeal to enhance the quality of governance, with equal focus on all departments. The initial focus of Mo Sarkar was on health and police departments as they interact with people on a daily basis. But now every department has been brought within the ambit of this transformative governance initiative. The award for taxation is proof that every department of the government is now doing extremely well.
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