The Finance Ministry has cracked a whip on Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officers, who are “overstaying” in foreign countries even after the courses they went to undertake had come to an end.

The Ministry has asked all the Chief Commissioners of Income Tax (CCsIT) across the country to report as to how many such officers have gone on trainings and study programmes at universities and institutions abroad and what action has been taken against those who have not returned without furnishing proper reasons.

The action has been taken after Minister of State for Revenue Mr S S Palanimanickam wrote a letter to the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) - the administrative authority of the IRS (Income Tax) cadre in the country - stating “some officers who have proceeded on training courses overseas are neither returning on the conclusion of the courses or intimating reasons for their overstay. This may please be verified and a status note in each case reporting action taken against those officers may please be given....urgently.”

Sources said a number of officers from various field formations and units of the income tax department are sent on training courses abroad for specific time periods. However, some of them have failed to report back to their cadre controlling authorities and hence the action has been taken.

The department is already facing a shortage of officers and is faced with increasing work pressure and deputation of officers to other law enforcement agencies, they said.

The CCsIT have been asked to furnish the information to the CBDT at the earliest so that proper action can be taken after that.

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