Even CA is a prefix now

After doctors and the armed forces, it is now the turn of chartered accountants to start their names with an honorific.

A decision to this effect was taken recently by the council of the Institute of Chartered Accountancy of India (ICAI) "� the examining as well as licensing body for chartered accountants in the country. The prefix is part of ICAI's efforts to revamp the image of CAs and lend a unique identity to them.

"Doctors have a Dr before their names giving them a unique identity. They can use this prefix everywhere on their cards, letterheads and also on their vehicles. We wanted a similar unique identity for CAs. The prefix will also help in improving the brand image of CAs," said 'CA' Manoharan T N, president of ICAI.

While T N is Manoharan's initials, the CA denotes that he is a certified chartered accountant. Adding the prefix does not require any regulatory approval since ICAI is a statutory body established under the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 for the regulation of the chartered accountancy profession in the country.

"The institute is recognised as a premier accounting body and is on par with other regulatory bodies such as the Irda," Manoharan said. Accountancy is now a much sought-after profession given the fact that even freshers take home a cool Rs 40,000 a month as pay package.

The fact that even small businesses require their services has spurred the demand for accountants. ICAI contends that this is the right time to give a professional hue to their profession.

Apart from the honorific, the institute will introduce a logo to be used by chartered accountants across the country. It will be a unique symbol and is likely to have the CA prefix in it. ICAI had initially asked the National Institute of Design to design the logo, but it has now also approached private agencies to come up with sample designs.

Once the institute approved a logo design, CAs could use it on their visiting cards and letterheads, the president said.