The Centre on Sunday extended the tenure of P.C. Mody, Chairman of CBDT, for three months effective from March 1 till May 31.
This is the third extension granted to Mr. Mody, a 1982 batch Income Tax cadre officer of Indian Revenue Service (IRS). Earlier, his tenure was extended by six months in last August and before that for one year in August 2019.
Interestingly, besides being chairman of the top tax policy making body, Mr. Mody also holds charge of the member (investigation), a prized assignment, in the CBDT.
Mr. Mody had taken over as the new chairman of the CBDT on February 15, 2019.
Before being elevated, Mr. Mody was the member-administration of CBDT, the apex policy making body of the Income Tax department. He had succeeded Sushil Chandra, who was appointed as Election Commissioner.
On Saturday, Finance Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey superannuated from service and the additional charge of Secretary, Department of Revenue, has been handed over to Economic Affairs Secretary Tarun Bajaj.
Now, Mr. Bajaj, a veteran bureaucrat with a stint in the PMO before moving to the Finance Ministry as Economic Affairs Secretary, and Expenditure Secretary T.V. Somnathan will be playing crucial role as the government is struggling to spearhead the pandemic battered economy.
Mr. Somnathan also had a stint in the PMO earlier.
Moreover, there are several vacancies in the top policy making body of the direct taxes and the government is in the process of appointments.
According to sources, the government has already held two rounds of interviews of shortlisted candidates to be appointed as members in the CBDT.