A wizard of Income Tax laws, Manoranjan Panigrahi is currently the Principal Commissioner of Income Tax, Cuttack. After having a brilliant academic carrier with post-graduation in Political Science from the Utkal University, he had his MPhil from the
Jawaharlal Nehru University. He joined the Indian Revenue Service in 1988. He has worked in assessment, investigation, administration, appellate and TDS wings, thereby having accumulated repository wisdom in the IT Department. He has worked in almost all major stations in Odisha.
The department had bestowed upon him the responsibility of four commissioner charges in 2014, a rare distinction for any IT officer. During his carrier, he was subjected to intensive training at National Direct tax Institute, Nagpur; Regional Institute, Kolkata; Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore; and, finally, at Maryland University, USA. He spends his leisure profitably by reading profusely and by writing too.
He has published four books to his credit. His recent travelogue released in December last contains memoirs of his itinerary in the USA and is extremely popular.
His creative carrier is inspire by his wife Dr Sanghamitra Pati, who is Director of the Regional Medical Resource Centre, Bhubaneswar and one son an RBI officer and the other a management scholar in the USA. In an interview to The Pioneer, Panigrahi spoke to Sugyan Choudhury at his residence.
Who is required to file Income Tax return?
Any person who has income beyond Rs 2.5 lakh per annum.
There are two slabs of assessment for the year 2021-2022. Is it going to continue? If one opts for one slab, can he change it in future?
The Government has given you two options. The taxpayer has to opt for one slab or the other where he or she is going to be benefited. I can’t say how long it will continue. But in the assessment year 2020-21, the option was given to choose one slab where he was benefitted. The recent announcement of the IT Department that people over 75 years of age are not required to file IT returns where they are having pension or interest. The TDS is deduced at 10% in such higher income groups thereby causing 20% loss to the department. What’s your response?
Look, this is a kind of benefit given to those who are very, very senior citizens. Very senior citizens need not undergo through the pain of filing returns. Although with the E-filing the IT return has become easier yet for the very seniors this is still cumbersome.
If they have pension and interest in the same bank from where they are drawing pension then the tax will be deducted only at source, i.e., enough for them. They do not have to file any further returns. This benefit has been given to the very senior citizens with a gesture of goodwill.
The Union Finance Minister terms the present Budget as a reinvigorating one. How do you justify this?
This budget is a novel one coming when every sector of the Indian economy was affected by the Covid pandemic. In this budget, many announcements are there. Particularly the budget for the health sector has gone up to Rs 2.23 lakh crore, double of last year’s.
This is a very good sign for the national health scenario. Secondly, the Government has earmarked 35,000 crore for vaccination and everybody will be vaccinated. The Prime Minister has given a clarion call for “Atmanirbhar Bharat”. We have to produce our own goods and don’t have to depend on other countries. Further, the Government has added impetus to the MSME sector, for which the Hon’ble Finance Minister has earmarked 15,700 crore. Much emphasis has been put on a self-sustained economy and a self-reliant India.
The budget has also taken care of infrastructural development like the railway and roadway and created opportunities for generation of jobs. I must say this is the best budget envisioned during and after the pandemic.
It is a general perception that leviathans are escaping the IT net while the department is running after the salmons. What’s your response?
What you say may be having some basis. But we are always trying to rope in big tax evaders. The department has been strengthened and the ED has been toned up. There is a wing of the department known as the search and seizure wing which conducts IT raids. Many provisions have been incorporated; and with many technologies available, we are sure to nab such tax evaders.
What are your memorable experiences during your tenure as the Secretary of Culture, Govt of Odisha?
I have worked as Secretary of Culture Department and Secretary of I & PR Department, Govt of Odisha; and I must put on record that I have derived maximum satisfaction after having worked in these two departments.
Many innovations took place during my tenure. The list seems to be unending; but to name a few, two Odia chairs were established one in Jawaharlal Nehru University and another at Banaras Hindu University. The chair at JNU is named after a doyen of Odia literature, Adikavi Sarala Das, and the one at BHU after Kavisamrat Upendra Bhanja.
The chair in JNU has considerably enhanced the image of Odisha Government and the pride of people of Odisha. Fifty thousand indigent artists got pension. The Culture University was shifted to its own sprawling campus of 50 acres. “Bande Utkal Janani” got the tag of State Anthem.
A commemorative coin and a commemorative stamp in legendary Bijubabu’s memory were released. All this was because I took some personal interest.
You will be glad to know that I have taken initiatives to instal statues of legendary sons and daughters of Odisha like Neelamani Vidyaratna, Biju Patnaik, Nandini Satpathy, Rama Devi and Basudev Sudhaldev. The Paika Rebellion celebrated its 200 years of history and the year 1817 was considered as the first Indian War of Independent.
A commemorative stamp was issued also by the Prime Minister and we celebrated it by holding many functions. The NCERT has included Paika Rebellion in its curriculum. Sanskruti Charcha, Pustaka Charcha, Loka Kala Discussions were introduced. All this would speak volumes of my devotion and dedication to the cultural ambiance of my State Odisha. And that are the most memorable experiences of my life.