The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Saturday said that it organised a Goods and Services Tax (GST) awareness camp for over 100 women running small businesses through self-help groups in its the F South ward.
The camp was aimed at supporting women who operate small enterprises under BMC-assisted savings groups. A total of 110 women participated in the session, an official statement said.
Senior officials, including Director (Planning) Dr Prachi Jambhekar, Assistant Commissioner Vrushali Ingule, and GST department officers, were present.
During the session, participants were given detailed guidance on GST registration, filing returns, and understanding compliance requirements.
Officials explained that many women face difficulties in securing contracts or participating in tender processes due to the absence of GST registration.
Addressing challenges faced by women
The camp focused on helping women overcome these barriers by equipping them with the necessary knowledge to formalise their businesses, the statement said.
It said that the participants were also given an opportunity to ask questions and clarify doubts related to GST procedures.
The officials said that interested participants will receive further assistance in completing online GST registration and return filing in the future.
The initiative is part of BMC’s broader efforts to promote social inclusion and economic empowerment.
Through its planning department, the civic body regularly implements schemes for women, persons with disabilities, senior citizens and the transgender community.
Step to improve transfers of officials
Meanwhile, in an another statement, the BMC said that it has taken a major step to improve transparency in the internal transfer process of its engineers by forming a special committee and introducing an online system.
According to the administration, around 4,500 engineers are currently working across various departments of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
A dedicated committee has now been formed to oversee intra-departmental transfers and ensure a fair and transparent system. The committee will be headed by the Director (Engineering and Services), who will take key decisions regarding postings and transfers.
Online system to be introduced
In a major reform move, the civic body plans to develop a software-based online transfer system, similar to models used in state government departments such as transport and veterinary services.
The new system will allow engineers’ transfers to be processed digitally, reducing manual intervention and improving accountability.
Officials said the main objective of the reform is to make the transfer process more transparent, efficient and free from bias.
The online platform will help ensure that all transfer-related decisions are properly recorded and carried out in a structured manner.
The BMC stated that this step is part of wider administrative reforms aimed at modernising civic operations through technology and improving governance standards within the organisation.
