The 54th edition of the
BCAS Residential Refresher Course (RRC) was a virtual affair this year and yet managed to make a mark with various initiatives, especially the high quality of the programme, the faculty and the participants.
It started with the felicitation of Past President Pradyumna Shah – it was during his term as President that the very first RRC was held way back in the year 1968-69. There was also the publication of a book on ‘Partnership’, the e-release of an e-version of ‘Gita for the Professional’ and the release of the long-awaited BCAS Mobile App.
All the members and the office-bearers of the BCAS felt honoured and privileged to felicitate the nonagenarian ‘student at heart’, Pradyumna Shah.
It would not be way off the mark to say that the month of January turned out to be a month of historical moments for all.
This year’s Budget season also started with the launch of the ‘Union Budget Mobile App’ by the Union Finance Minister, Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman. Another historical initiative has been to make ‘Budget 2021’ completely paperless for the first time since Independence – with hassle-free access of Budget-related documents for both the Members of Parliament and also for the public. This is a huge digital achievement; of course, all thanks to the exigencies forced upon us by the pandemic. In the process, we conserved a very large quantum of paper, avoided humungous printing efforts and saved precious time, thus displaying solid social responsibility.
Turning to sport, it was a ‘Chak de India’ moment for Indian cricket lovers when our team created history with a 2-1 series win over the mighty Australians – in Australia – in the Gabba Test. It was even more commendable because this was achieved in spite of our team being adversely affected by injuries suffered by key players. The younger and fresher lot of players took charge along with a few from the experienced elders to create Test history.
Similarly, the BSE Sensex created history in the same month of January to cross the 50,000 mark for the very first time in the Indian stock market. It is a dynamic figure and would undergo ups and downs from time to time, depending on economic and liquidity conditions. However, achieving the 50,000 mark is a clear-cut indicator of investor confidence in the Indian economy in the long term.
Another history-making event was Kamala Devi Harris becoming the 49th Vice-President of the United States of America. She is that country’s first female Vice-President, the highest-ranking female elected official in US history and the first African-American and first Asian-American US Vice-President. After the complex US electoral process, Joe Biden took over as the 46th President and Kamala Harris as his Vice-President. Her Indian-American ancestry is an early indication that pragmatism will dictate the future of the Indo-US relationship. President Biden has long been an advocate of deeper ties with India and we should look forward to positive political, economic and trade relations between the two economies.
The results of the Covid-affected Chartered Accountants’ examination conducted in November, 2020 are expected in the first week of February, 2021. By the time this communication reaches you, the results would be out and new members would get added to our esteemed profession. The BCAS is ready to welcome these new entrants who are expected to carry the flag of our profession forward. Good luck to all of them.
We welcome these fresh professionals with the 8th Youth RRC planned in the month of April, 2021 by the BCAS HRD Committee. Please await a detailed announcement and enrolment for an interesting youthful experience. Do not forget to visit the site www.bcasonline.org for more announcements.
Before I close, I wish you Happy Budget Times!
Best Regards,
