President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday said the Comptroller & Auditor General team, as a facilitator of good governance, would play an important role in making India the third largest economy in the world.
After inaugurating the 3rd Audit Diwas celebrations, Ms. Murmu said under the leadership of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, Girish Chandra Murmu, the government’s audit community had made significant contributions to strengthening integrity, governance and system building.
The President said the auditing body had taken several forward looking steps, including the establishment of the Centre for Data Management and Analytics, in which digital technology and other modern methods are being used in line with future requirements. She said the auditors should be considered as facilitators of good governance, not critics.
Stating that India’s leading position in the world community was also visible in the field of audit, she said the emphasis on the issues of Blue Economy and Responsible Artificial Intelligence during India’s presidency of Supreme Audit Institutions 20 (SAI 20) was a good effort to prepare a roadmap for the future.
Speaking on the occasion, the CAG said the institution had made significant progress on multiple fronts. “The audit report catalyses good governance and assists Parliament and State legislatures in ensuring accountability, transparency and efficient functioning of the executive,” he said, adding that 183 audit reports were presented in Parliament and State legislatures during 2022-23.
He said access to financial data had significantly improved with the integration of SAI accounting offices with State governments’ financial systems. “We will continue to strengthen the linkages between Accounts and Audit by developing data analytics capacities for financial analysis,” he said, adding that the move would help produce more informed audits and result in greater public financial management outcomes.
He said “We are setting up an International Centre for Local Government Audit & Capacity Building. This first-of-its-kind institute will be dedicated exclusively for fulfilling a global need for capacity building in respect of local governance audits.”
To address the problem of shortage of qualified accountants in municipalities and panchayats, a memorandum of understanding has been signed between the CAG and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India to conduct a certification course.
On sustainable development, he said: “Our commitment to sustainability is evidenced by the successful preparation of Asset Accounts on Mineral and Energy Resources of States/UTs under the guidance of the Government Accounting Standards Advisory Board (GASAB) and the offices of SAI India. Water Resources is the next priority area. GASAB has already developed tentative tables of Water Accounts and circulated them to all States and UTs and other stakeholders.”
As part of the 3rd Audit Day celebrations, the CAG has organised a three-day event from November 15 to 17. The two-day 31st Accountants General conference commenced on Thursday.
