By Fr Nathaneal George for BIS Mumbai

The Administrators' Meet of the Province was held on July 29 and 30, 2026 at the Provincial House, Matunga bringing together administrators from various Salesian institutions for two days of intensive formation. The programme focused on strengthening administrative competence through inputs on legal compliance, finance, human resource management, emerging technologies, and sustainable institutional practices.

The first day commenced with a session by Chartered Accountant P. M. Nayak of Transformatrix, whose firm serves organisations across India. Mr. Rushab Tambe introduced the participants to the fundamentals of Income Tax, explaining the distinctions between various categories of taxation and the responsibilities of institutions in maintaining statutory compliance. The session emphasised the importance of accurate documentation, transparency, and systematic financial operations.

The second session, led by Mr. Praneeth Surve, dealt with GST, statutory compliances, and trust-related regulations. He explained the differences between Income Tax and GST while highlighting the provisions of Section 12AA/12AB and Section 17, which govern exemptions available to charitable trusts for the services they render. The practical examples and clarifications enabled participants to better understand GST applicability and compliance requirements for educational and charitable institutions.

The third session was more practical. Mr Nevin Dominic a software developer from Bosco Soft Chennai introduced the Cristo application to the gathering. This application seeks to be a central database for the province, where one can find all details of the confreres of the province, provincial circulars, chronicles and other related information. This is a step in the direction of maintaining digital copies of the documents and other information which can help in access and retrieval at a moments notice.

The final session of the day was conducted by Mr. Dayanand Mangaonkar, who has been associated with the Province for the past fourteen years. Speaking on Human Resource Management and Labour Laws, he outlined the recently introduced labour codes in India and their implications for institutions. He stressed the importance of following proper procedures in employee management, ensuring fairness in handling grievances, and educating employees about both their rights and responsibilities.

The second day began with an engaging session by Mr. Claudius Fernando on Artificial Intelligence and its practical applications. He demonstrated how AI can assist administrators in improving productivity and decision-making. Emphasising that effective prompt engineering is the key to obtaining meaningful results from AI tools, he provided live demonstrations of NotebookLM, showcasing how it can organise documents, generate summaries, and assist in research and administration.

The fifth session was conducted by the newly appointed Provincial Economer, Fr. Anton D'Souza, who presented the fundamentals of administration. He revisited essential areas such as FCRA regulations, Income Tax Returns, statutory deadlines, and other legal compliances that require timely attention. Encouraging the administrators to remain vigilant, he reminded them that responsible administration goes beyond paperwork and involves genuine care for the institutions and communities entrusted to them.

The concluding session was delivered by Mr. Shailesh Bodhak, an expert in power solutions, who inspired the gathering to make Salesian institutions more sustainable and environmentally responsible. Highlighting practical methods for conserving electricity and reducing operational costs, he reminded participants that "A rupee saved is a rupee earned." His presentation which elaborated on the use of solar energy, encouraged administrators to adopt energy-efficient practices that benefit both the institutions and the environment.

The two-day Administrators' Meet proved to be an enriching experience, equipping participants with practical knowledge, updated legal awareness, and renewed commitment to responsible stewardship. The sessions reinforced the importance of competent, compliant, and forward-looking administration in the service of the Province's educational and pastoral mission.