Our A-Level students had a remarkable opportunity to interview and interact with the erudite Mr. Nishanth Rao – a senior government official currently serving as the Joint Commissioner of Income Tax, Appeals-4, Chennai, who secured AIR 338 in UPSC and qualified for the Indian Revenue Services in his very first attempt.
The interaction navigated through Mr. Rao’s UPSC journey, the high-stakes involved with working for the Government of India, the challenges arising from India’s large informal economy and measures taken to regulate it, the simplification of the system through digitalisation to help small business owners and young individuals.
Mr. Rao also offered insights about the Department’s outreach efforts to educate agrarians and informal sector workers, and a detailed overview of how companies evade taxes, the financial factors that create suspicion, ‘shell companies’ and ‘searches’ (commonly known as raids).
The session concluded with an expression of gratitude and some informal conversation, particularly about Mr. Rao’s passion towards upholding animal rights.
Our students – aspiring chartered accountants, lawyers and entrepreneurs – gained invaluable insights, which helped facilitate a better understanding of their interested discipline.
