I-T dept launches PRARAMBH to raise tax awareness

Chandigarh: The income tax department (North-West Region) Thursday launched PRARAMBH 2026 at Aayakar Bhawan, Sector 17, to promote awareness about the IT Act, 2025.

Principal chief commissioner Mayank Priyadarshi stressed stakeholder engagement for effective implementation, announcing 22 outreach programmes across the region on June 16. He urged wider dissemination of changes in the new law.

CIT (admin) Abhishek Pal Garg said the Act has been simplified to improve ease of compliance, with PRARAMBH focusing on digital tools, educational material and field outreach to enable citizen-friendly filing.

A session by former chief commissioner Ashok Kumar Jha and a live demo of an AI chatbot were part of the event, which saw participation from CAs, tax practitioners and traders. Officials said the initiative aims to ensure a smooth transition to the new tax regime.