Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Commercial Tax and Goods and Services Tax (CT & GST) Commissionerate organised a one-day workshop for Financial Advisors (FAs) of various state government departments on Works Contract Services and the TDS system under the Odisha Goods and Services Tax (OGST) Act at the Madhusudan Das Regional Academy of Financial Management in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.
Organised by the Finance Department, the workshop aimed to clarify doubts arising from changes in GST laws, rules and rates, and to facilitate better compliance across departments. Updated guidelines have been prepared for the convenience of government departments and heads of departments.
The programme was attended by Chief Secretary Anu Garg, Principal Secretary (Finance) Sanjeev Kumar Mishra, CT & GST Commissioner Yamini Sarangi, and Director of the Regional Finance Training Institute Santosh Kumar Suar.Sessions covered the OGST Act, 2017, works contract services, the TDS mechanism, fixation of service charges, compilation of related circulars, the Just-in-Time Funding System, and management of current accounts maintained by Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs).
Addressing the Financial Advisors, Chief Secretary Anu Garg said they can play a significant role in strengthening the state’s financial management and realising the goals of ‘Viksit Odisha’ and ‘Viksit Bharat’. As custodians of public resources, she urged them to adopt a progressive, innovative and development-oriented approach and to advise departmental secretaries on timely expenditure as per budget estimates.Garg noted that Odisha continues to be a leading state in financial management and stressed the need for timely and effective utilisation of own-source funds.
She called upon the FAs to simplify and expedite financial approvals, take the lead in expenditure management, and support priority sectors such as tourism, industry, logistics and revenue generation. She also advised the Finance Department to issue clear, updated circulars to improve efficiency, effectiveness and accountability.
The Chief Secretary also interacted with 48 trainee officers of the Odisha Finance Service and Odisha Taxation and Accounts Service (2024 batch) undergoing training at the academy. She congratulated them and advised them to prioritise public service, honesty, integrity, professionalism and accountability.
She emphasised the importance of staying updated with modern technology, digital systems and new financial policies, ensuring proper compliance, efficient revenue collection and timely service delivery to citizens, thereby contributing to the vision of a developed Odisha and developed India.
