Govt forms advisory group for IT infrastructure

The government on Monday constituted the Technical Advisory Group for Unique Projects (TAGUP) under the chairmanship of Nandan Nilekani to develop information technology (IT) infrastructure in five key areas, including the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the New Pension System (NPS).

TAGUP will comprise Securities & Exchange Board of India Chairman C B Bhave, IT Secretary R Chandrasekhar, former Pension Fund Regulatory Development Authority Chairman D Swarup, former Central Board of Direct Taxes member S S Khan, former Central Board of Excise & Customs member P R V Ramanan and ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth President Nachiket Mor.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, in his Budget speech for 2010-11, had announced setting up of TAGUP for an effective tax administration and financial governance system through creation of IT projects, which are reliable, secure and efficient. Other projects, apart from GST and NPS, are Tax Information Network, National Treasury Management Agency and Expenditure Information Network.

TAGUP will address and make recommendations on human resources including modification in the government rules and procedures, said a statement from the finance ministry.

It will also give suggestions on appropriate placement of tasks and allocation of responsibilities within government; contracting, commercial terms and charges including procedures for competitive bidding, pricing models and suggestions on user charges; road map from start up to going concern for each of these projects, which would also focus on legal/regulatory change, if any.