Sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik (second from left) and litterateur Sitakanta Mohapatra (extreme right) being felicitated on Income Tax Day in Bhubaneswar on Monday.

The income tax department felicitated eminent personalities, who have brought glories to the state in their respective fields.

Principal chief commissioner of income tax Vidhu Sekhar Singh said: "We believe in equity and transparency, promoting tax payer's awareness for voluntary compliance, effective deterrence against tax evasion and adoption of technology for improved services delivery."

Retired chief commissioner Srikant Chatterjee said: "There are many financial crimes that have been detected by brilliant officers of the department. The officers should be made aware of these investigation process."

Noted film personality Satyabrata (Kuna) Tripathy said: "Those, who have come here to attend the meeting, are coming because somewhere they have some sort of fear for the department. Now time has come for the income tax department officials to become people oriented and shun that image."

Poet Ramakanta Rath, writer Bibhuti Patnaik, film artistes Mihir Das, Bijay Mohanty, Satyabrata Tripathy and Archita Sahu, players Shradhanjali Samantaray and Anuradha Biswal and music director Prem Anand were also felicitated.

Among others, income tax joint director Ashim Kumar Chakraborty, commissioner of income tax (appeals) Sarat Kuamr Das and commissioner of income tax (administration) Saroj Kumar Mohapatra were also present.

PICTURES BY ASHWINEE PATI