ICAI launches 'flexi-working portal' for women members

To help its nearly 49,000 women members, apex body of chartered accountants ICAI has launched an online platform that provides them with information on available job opportunities.
Besides the institute is providing training programmes for women chartered accountants to hone their management skills against the backdrop of the new companies law requiring most firms to have at least one woman director on their boards.
ICAI President K Raghu today said the newly launched flexi-working portal for women members would also help industry to tap talent pool which might not be accessible otherwise in normal course.
ICAI has more than 48,600 women members.

"This portal will help women members find suitable opportunities including part time/flexi-hours jobs or jobs with work-from-home option," according to ICAI.
Further, Raghu said the institute has started training programmes for its women members that would help them boost their capabilities to serve as directors on boards of companies.

Meanwhile, ICAI has raised concerns about the proposal to widen the definition of 'accountant' in the Direct Taxes Code.
In this regard, the institute last week held meetings with Finance Ministry officials.
ICAI had told the Finance Ministry that "issuance of audit certificates by persons having limited knowledge of audit of accounts will not only be professionally incorrect and but will raise many concerns including causing huge revenue leakages".

The DTC Bill, which aims to replace the existing I-T Act 1961 and overhaul the taxation system, has been pending since 2009 and has undergone various changes.
Separately, the institute has asked the Corporate Affairs Ministry to exempt private limited and small companies from the ambit of audit cap.
Under the new Companies Act, 2013, whose most provisions came into force from April 1, an auditor can now audit not more than 20 companies at any given time.
In a communication to Corporate Affairs Minister Sachin Pilot, ICAI has requested the government to exclude private limited, small and one person companies from the purview of audit cap rule.