The Hindu Business Line : ICAI southern regional meet in Kochi from today

THE 37th regional conference of Southern India Regional Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India will be held here on Friday and Saturday at Le Meridian Convention Centre.

The Governor, Mr R.L. Bhatia, will inaugurate the conference. More than 2,500 chartered accountants from southern India are expected to participate in the two-day event. The conference is being held in Kochi after a gap of nine years.

The theme of the conference is Mahodaya - India Inc - CA's - The Grand Rising. It will be the biggest gathering of chartered accountants in the State till date, said Mr V.C. James, Chairman of the Regional Council of the Institute, at a press meet.

Papers will be presented on topics such as fringe benefit tax - issues and challenges, Indian accounting standards v/s international accounting standards, Basel II norms - coping with new challenges, etc.

He said that discussions would also be held on compliance challenges for service tax, knowledge process outsourcing, international taxation and risk based internal audit. Mr Sitaram Yechury, MP, will address the valedictory session on Saturday.

The Institute, in its efforts to streamline the entrance procedures, is planning to introduce a common proficiency test for entrance to the CA course to attract better talent.

As part of this, plus-two students would be eligible to write the examination and 10th standard students would be allowed to register their names for the test. This, he said, would provide more time for planning the career at a younger stage.

Mr Babu Abraham Kallivayalil, Member of the Regional Council and Chairman of the Regional Students Association, said that the Institute had introduced several new courses to train chartered accountants in specialised areas.

It is also planning a multi-disciplinary specialisation so as to provide all services under one roof. The initiative in this regard is in the process stage, he said.

Asked about the opening up of CA profession in the country, Mr Babu said they were not against the move, but it should be on a reciprocal basis. He pointed out that Indian CAs are in great demand worldwide especially in the Gulf countries. The CA's body in the country is the third largest in world, next to the UK and the US.

According to Mr V.X. Jose, Chairman of the Ernakulam Branch, a Bill to amend the provisions of the laws governing CAs has been introduced in Parliament.

The passage of the Bill will provide an opportunity for the CAs to have partnerships with similar professional groups like company secretaries.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page