IP&TAFS Marks 51 Years, Showcases Evolving Role in Telecom and Postal Finance

The occasion served as a platform to reflect on the Service’s institutional evolution and its expanding role in India’s rapidly transforming communications landscape.

 

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, alongside the organisation of the Communication Finance Summit 2025. The occasion served as a platform to reflect on the Service’s institutional evolution and its expanding role in India’s rapidly transforming communications landscape.

Five Decades of Strengthening Financial Governance

Addressing the gathering, Ms. Vandana Gupta, Controller General of Communication Accounts (CGCA), traced the 51-year journey of IP&TAFS, highlighting its pivotal contribution to strengthening financial governance in the telecommunications and postal sectors. She noted that the Service has continuously adapted to major structural shifts triggered by economic reforms, liberalisation, and rapid technological change, which fundamentally reshaped the functioning of both the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Department of Posts (DoP).

The CGCA underscored the expanding responsibilities of IP&TAFS officers, which today include 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. She emphasised that the Service has evolved into a strategic financial governance cadre, supporting transparency, accountability, and sustainable public service delivery.

Reflecting on service outcomes, Ms. Gupta noted that the professionalism and commitment of IP&TAFS officers have contributed to the DoT and DoP consistently featuring among the top-performing Departments in the Grievance Redressal rankings published by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG).

Capacity Building and Institutional Excellence

Highlighting the Service’s strong focus on capacity building, the CGCA expressed pride in IP&TAFS hosting a Sarvottam–Capacity Building Commission highest-rated Central Training Institute, the National Communications Academy–Finance (NCA-Finance). She noted that the Academy has successfully conducted a 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)—an initiative that has received high appreciation from LBSNAA.

She further observed that the role of IP&TAFS officers has expanded well beyond traditional accounts and finance functions, with officers now entrusted with core operational, governance, audit, and policy-support responsibilities across the telecom and postal ecosystems.

Adapting Through Reform and Digital Transformation

Congratulating the Service on its Foundation Day, Ms. Darshana M. Dabral, Advisor (Finance), highlighted the importance of periodically reflecting on institutional journeys. She identified two major growth phases for IP&TAFS—the liberalisation era of the 1990s and the digital transformation wave of the 2020s—during which the Service transitioned from a service-provider orientation to that of a regulator and strategic financial partner.

Ms. Dabral identified agility and adaptability as the defining pillars of IP&TAFS and highlighted major reforms such as IT 2.0 in postal operations and rapid accounting reforms. She emphasised the importance of digital platforms such as SAMPANN, IT 2.0, and SARAS, suggesting that these applications could be scaled across other Ministries, State Governments, and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) frameworks to enhance efficiency, transparency, and fiscal accountability.

Institutional Memory and Continuity

Sharing his reflections, Shri Rajeev Kumar, Senior Deputy Director General (PAF), spoke about the multiple transitions witnessed by the Service across both telecom and postal sectors. He highlighted key challenges and success stories from these periods of change and emphasised the vital role played by veteran and retired officers as mentors and custodians of institutional memory, guiding IP&TAFS through critical phases of transformation.

Role of Accounts Services in Governance

Extending greetings on the occasion, Ms. Astha Saxena, Additional Controller General of Accounts, underlined 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, particularly through platforms such as the Public Financial Management System (PFMS), and reaffirmed that the communications sector will continue to remain central to effective government functioning.

Deliberations on the Road Ahead

During the Communication Finance Summit, retired senior officers shared insights on the evolution of IP&TAFS, drawing upon their experience and institutional memory to offer a long-term vision for strengthening the communications sector and contributing to national development. Discussions focused on ongoing reforms, including the impact of SAMPANN 2.0 for pension management, IT 2.0 for postal reforms, and SAMPANN for revenue assurance and mitigation of financial risks.

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