The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, Girish Chandra Murmu, on Wednesday said good local governance that relied on the core principles of transparency, inclusivity, and accountability, was the cornerstone of grassroots democracy.
After inaugurating the three-day international conference on ‘Strengthening of Grassroots Democracy’, Mr. Murmu said that local governments were the most important link in the governance spectrum and that they were necessary for the advancement of society and improving the lives of citizens.
Representatives from supreme audit institutions of Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Morocco, Nepal, Oman, Poland, South Africa, and Uganda, with India being the host country, are participating in the conference.
“It is at this level that the aspirations, concerns, and needs of the people are most acutely felt and addressed. It is here that local level planning of developmental programmes are undertaken,” Mr. Murmu said adding that “these bodies are the first ones to respond to calamities and pandemics and are vital for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals”.
As the country’s local governments depend on the Central and State governments for funds, functions, and functionaries, he said it called for an out-of-box audit approach. India has about 2.62 lakh local institutions. This third tier of government implemented several centrally-sponsored schemes and projects. Given its growing importance, the Union Finance Commission allowed for direct devolution of funds of about 4.20% of the total divisible pool to the third tier, he said.
Mr. Murmu said the supreme audit institutions could play a vital role in strengthening local bodies and establish robust audit mechanisms for compliance monitoring within its respective mandates. Underscoring the importance of carrying out audit impact analyses, he said interventions such as follow-up audits, periodic reviews, and evaluation would ensure that the audit institutions’ recommendations were implemented for oversight and accountability.
“Transparency, inclusivity and accountability are the core principles underpinning the essence of our welfare societies...at the grassroots level, where governance meets the everyday lives of citizens, these principles are not mere ideals, but the bedrock upon which the edifice of good governance stands,” he said.
“The primary focus of the district audits is on service delivery - the last mile connecting the government with its people. Services like supply of potable and clean water, sanitation, and management of solid waste are the few crucial services provided by the local governments. The objective of our audit is to assess how well local governments are discharging these functions,” Mr. Murmu said.
The CAG has recently established the International Centre for Audit of Local Governance, or iCAL. “iCAL will serve as a centre of excellence for capacity building of local government auditors at the national and the international levels,” Mr. Murmu said. He welcomed the Asian Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions’ move to form a Working Group on Regional and Municipal Audit.
