From the President

Dear Members,

The month of August, named after
Augustus, the first Roman Emperor is also celebrated as the “Happiness Happens
Month”. Even though it may sound trivial, it does have a very important
purpose. The month reminds us that happiness happens one small moment at a time
and it is our job to recognise those moments when they happen. It reminds us
that sometimes a small action boosts our happiness. It reminds us that
happiness is a personal experience and it is also contagious! So, step back and
reflect, what were your happy moments during the last month? When did you make
someone else happy?

Happiness was what a team of 37
volunteers witnessed when they visited the tribal areas of Dharampur as a part
of the social initiative of BCAS Foundation. Members and students were thrilled
to spend two days together with lots of fun during the journey to visit various
social and religious projects coupled with the environmental initiative of tree
plantation.

The BCAS Foundation also had the
privilege of jointly hosting the 3^rd Narayan Varma Memorial Lecture
Series, where Mr. Vallabh Bhansali spoke on an interesting topic of
“Re-building India”. In a thought-provoking session, he highlighted that the
key stakeholders of this re-building exercise would be the Government, private
enterprise, charities and individuals and that each of these stakeholders
should work in close co-ordination for optimal results. As the Hon’ble Prime
Minister rightly said in his Independence Day Speech, “When 125 crore
countrymen become partners, then each and every citizen joins us in the
progress of the country.”

The recent natural disaster in Kerala requires necessarily this
type of co-operative effort. While the immediate work of rescue and relief is
more or less taken care of, experience suggests that rehabilitation is perhaps
something which is frequently neglected. BCAS Foundation is in the process of
identifying a suitable rehabilitation project in the field of education and
would endeavour to create a visible long term impact by direct or assisted
intervention. I request the members to contribute generously to this noble
cause.

Technology was the flavour of the
month at the Society. While delivering an insightful talk on the “Impact of
Technology on the Role of Auditors”, Mr. P. R. Ramesh minced no words while
pointing out that only those CA firms would survive who would accept change and
flow with the flood of technology impacting every aspect of human life. A week
later, the talk on “GSTN Portal – Experiences” by the GSTN CEO Mr. Prakash Kumar,
showcased the benefits of technology in improving data analytics. This was soon
followed by an interactive session with Mr. Purushottam, from TRACES and Mr.
Deepak Wayal from NSDL. A common thread across all the three meetings was that
technology will play a larger disruptive role than ever, especially in the
manner in which the profession conducts its activities.

The 22^nd International
Tax and Finance Conference, 2018 held at Ahmedabad was a grand success with a
record number of participants. Residential course not only provide the members
with the specialised technical knowledge on the respective domains but also
foster networking amongst the members, presenting further opportunities of
growth, all in a relaxed and luxurious environment. The Seminar and Membership
Development Committee is in the advanced stage of finalisation of the 52^nd
Residential Refresher Course and the members can expect the announcement very
soon. Some innovative ideas are being implemented at this RRC and I would urge
the members not to miss this event.

There were many more activities at
the Society – a visit to Reliance Industries Limited to understand their
consolidation process, a two day event on “Internal Audit – Let’s start at the
very beginning”, a full day seminar on “Tax audit including new amendments
therein”, lecture meeting on “Proposed GST Returns Formats”. A common thread
across all these events was the huge turnout. In fact, for four of the paid
workshops, we had to close enrolments and turn down last minute requests. I
would earnestly request all the members to enrol early to avoid disappointment.
The Committees curate the best of the programs for our members and early
enrolment helps them in planning the events better.

I would be glad to receive any
feedback or suggestions on the functioning of the Society, events and
publications that you would like to witness, or any other matter concerning the
profession. Do write to me at president@bcasonline.org. 

 Warm Regards

CA. Sunil
Gabhawalla

President

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