The Indian Posts & Telecommunications Accounts and Finance Service (IP&TAFS) celebrated its 51st Foundation Year as Sanchar Vitta Lekha Diwas and organised the Communication Finance Summit 2025, reaffirming its pivotal role in strengthening financial governance across India’s telecommunications and postal sectors. IP&TAFS is a Central Civil Service recruited through the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
Five Decades of Institutional Evolution
Addressing the gathering, the Controller General of Communication Accounts (CGCA), Ms. Vandana Gupta, reflected on IP&TAFS’s 51-year journey and its growing strategic relevance. She highlighted how economic reforms, liberalisation, and rapid technological change have reshaped the mandates of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Department of Posts (DoP)—and, in turn, expanded the responsibilities of IP&TAFS.
She underscored the Service’s central role in revenue assurance, assessment and collection of licence fees and Spectrum Usage Charges, financial oversight of telecom operators, internal audit, pension management, and policy-oriented financial advice. These contributions have supported transparent, accountable, and sustainable public service delivery, with DoT and DoP consistently ranking among the top departments in grievance redressal published by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG).
Capacity Building and Training Excellence
Emphasising human capital development, Ms. Gupta noted that IP&TAFS hosts a Sarvottam–Capacity Building Commission highest-rated Central Training Institute, the National Communications Academy–Finance (NCA-Finance). The Academy has successfully conducted the Special Foundation Course for 176 officers from 15 All India Services and Central Civil Services in collaboration with the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA)—a programme that received strong appreciation.
She also highlighted the expanding remit of IP&TAFS officers beyond traditional accounts and finance, encompassing core operational, governance, audit, and policy-support functions across the communications ecosystem.
Agility, Adaptability and Digital Transformation
Advisor (Finance), Ms. Darshana M. Dabral, congratulated the Service and emphasised the importance of reflective institutional learning. She traced IP&TAFS’s major growth phases—from the liberalisation of the 1990s to the digital transformation of the 2020s—during which the Service evolved from a service provider to a regulator and strategic financial partner.
She identified agility and adaptability as defining pillars and highlighted reforms such as IT 2.0 in postal operations and rapid accounting modernisation. Flagship digital platforms—SAMPANN, IT 2.0, and SARAS—were cited as scalable solutions with potential application across Ministries, State Governments, and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) frameworks to enhance efficiency and transparency.
Institutional Memory and Governance Partnerships
Sharing reflections, Shri Rajeev Kumar, Senior Deputy Director General (PAF), spoke about transitions across telecom and postal sectors and the role of veteran and retired officers as mentors and custodians of institutional memory.
Extending greetings, Ms. Astha Saxena, Additional Controller General of Accounts, underscored the enduring importance of Accounts and Finance Services to governance. She highlighted collaboration between IP&TAFS and the Controller General of Accounts (CGA)—including through the Public Financial Management System (PFMS)—and reaffirmed the centrality of communications to government functioning.
Looking Ahead: A Whole-of-Government Approach
The Summit featured discussions on SAMPANN 2.0 for pension management, IT 2.0 for postal reforms, and SAMPANN for revenue assurance and financial risk mitigation. Forward-looking initiatives—including Digital Bharat Nidhi, digital and financial literacy, Innovation Cells, and performance audits—were envisaged to drive inclusive growth and systemic transformation. Interactions with officers from multiple Ministries reflected a strong Whole-of-Government commitment to robust public financial governance.
Conclusion
As IP&TAFS marks its 51st Foundation Year, the Sanchar Vitta Lekha Diwas and Communication Finance Summit 2025 underscored the Service’s evolution into a strategic pillar of India’s communications ecosystem. With a strong focus on digital reforms, capacity building, and collaborative governance, IP&TAFS is well-positioned to continue enabling transparent, efficient, and future-ready public financial management.
For more real-time updates, visit Channel 6 Network.
Source: PIB
