To make auditing process more transparent, CAG to engage citizens
New Delhi: In a major move aimed at making auditing of implementation of different welfare schemes sponsored by both the Centre and the state governments more transparent and accountable, it is learned that Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) of India would have increased engagement with citizens during the process of auditing.
According to a senior official in the CAG, citizens would be engaged in selection of subjects of audit and their suggestions during the process of auditing may also be incorporated to expand the horizon of auditing.
"Involvement of citizens is required for selection of schemes to be audited as officials sitting in offices may not be able to know all the lapses in implementation of welfare schemes at the ground level. Public is a good source to get the information. It's the beneficiaries who are well versed with mistakes in the implementation of citizen-centric welfare schemes," the official said.
"Audit is an integral part of the government and CAG, through its different audit reports, keeps showing a mirror to the governments. But, why should only the government know about the performance of any programme implementation? People should also know about this," the official added.
Highlighting about the process, the official further said: "The CAG wants to do it in a positive way for maximum utilisation of resources. It will be a random process and identification of people for their comments/views would be done by integrating different panchayat level committees, prominent citizens at the levels of blocks, districts and states, etc."
The CAG has also planned to hold Audit Week at its all regional offices and organise seminars, workshops, interactive sessions, etc, to create awareness among masses about the benefits of auditing and their role in making the auditing process more transparent for beneficiaries.
As part of its citizen centric initiatives, the CAG celebrates Audit Diwas on November 16, which was started in 2021.
The national auditor would also organise meetings with stakeholders such as officials of different departments, intellectuals, experts, etc. The apex auditor would also hold community activities to get direct feedback of people by involving members of advisory boards of the CAG.
Notably, during his address at the 3rd Conference of Supreme Audit Leaders (SAI) of BRICS countries on the theme of "Citizen Engagement in public sector audit", CAG Girish Chandra Murmu had stressed that citizens have been the main beneficiaries of audit governance and transparency in governments across the world.
At the meeting, which was attended by delegates from Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa, the participating countries had exchanged their best practices and experiences on the theme "citizen engagement in public sector audit". The meeting was held in the national Capital in October.
Some of the citizen-centric audits conducted by the CAG include availability of drugs, medicines and equipment in government medical institutions throughout the country with a focus on the efficacy of
centralised procurement, distribution and storage by leveraging technology.
The national auditor has also taken up audit of the implementation of the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act with a focus on decentralisation of funds, functions, functionaries, impact of the scheme and constraints in functioning of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)
as development in urban local bodies is directly connected with people.
The audit of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) focusing on coverage, identification of beneficiaries, efficiency and design of the payment process is also directly connected to citizens of the country.
