The Indian Posts & Telecommunications Accounts and Finance Service (IP&TAFS), a Central Civil Service recruited through the Civil Services Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), celebrated its 51st Foundation Year as Sanchar Vitta Lekha Diwas, and organised the Communication Finance Summit 2025.

Addressing the gathering, the Controller General of Communication Accounts (CGCA), Ms. Vandana Gupta, highlighted the 51-year institutional journey of IP&TAFS and its pivotal role in strengthening financial governance in India’s telecommunications and postal sectors. She reflected on the transformative impact of economic reforms, liberalisation, and rapid technological advancements that reshaped the roles of the Department of Telecommunications and the Department of Posts.

The CGCA emphasised IP&TAFS’s expanding responsibilities 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, underscoring the Service’s evolution into a strategic financial governance cadre supporting transparent, accountable, and sustainable public service delivery. The commitment and professionalism of the Service have also contributed to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Department of Posts (DoP) consistently remaining among the best-performing Departments in the Grievance Redressal rankings published by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG).

Highlighting the Service’s strong focus on capacity building, Ms. Gupta noted with pride that IP&TAFS today 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 of 15 All India Services and Central Civil Services, in collaboration with the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), which has been highly appreciated by LBSNAA. She further observed that the role of IP&TAFS officers has expanded beyond traditional accounts and finance functions, with officers now entrusted with core operational, governance, audit, and policy-support functions in the telecommunications and postal sectors.

Advisor (Finance), Ms. Darshana M. Dabral, congratulated members of the Service on the Foundation Day and underlined the importance of periodically reflecting on the Service’s journey. She noted that IP&TAFS experienced major growth phases during the liberalisation era of the 1990s and the ongoing digital transformation of the 2020s, during which its role transitioned from service provider to regulator and strategic financial partner. She identified agility and adaptability as the two defining pillars of the Service and highlighted major reforms such as IT 2.0 in Postal operations and rapid accounting reforms. She emphasised the significance of SAMPANN, IT 2.0, and SARAS as core digital applications and suggested that these platforms could be expanded across other Ministries, State Governments, and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) frameworks to enhance efficiency and transparency.

Sharing his reflections, Shri Rajeev Kumar, Senior Deputy Director General (PAF), highlighted the multiple transitions witnessed by the Service in both the telecom and postal sectors and shared key challenges and success stories from these periods of change. He emphasised that IP&TAFS has consistently evolved with veteran and retired officers playing a crucial role as mentors and custodians of institutional memory, guiding the Service through critical phases of development.

Extending greetings on the occasion, Ms. Astha Saxena, Additional Controller General of Accounts, emphasised that Accounts and Finance Services have remained indispensable to governance across eras. She highlighted the close collaboration between the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) and IP&TAFS, including through platforms such as the Public Financial Management System (PFMS), and reaffirmed that communications will continue to remain in focus to government functioning.

During the Summit, retired senior officers shared insights on the evolution of the IP&TAFS service, drawing upon their institutional memory and experience, enriching serving officers with a long-term vision for strengthening the communications sector and contributing to national development. Discussions were also held on ongoing developments, with emphasis on the impact of SAMPANN 2.0 for pension management, IT 2.0 for postal reforms, and SAMPANN for revenue assurance and mitigation of financial challenges.

Looking ahead, initiatives such as Digital Bharat Nidhi, digital and financial literacy, Innovation Cells, and performance audits were envisaged to promote inclusive growth and bring about positive systemic transformation in the communications sector. A Whole-of-Government approach was deliberated through interactions with officers from various Ministries and Departments of the Government of India, reflecting strong inter-departmental coordination and commitment towards robust public financial governance.

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MI/ARJ

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