‘CAG extending its outreach to include political executives’

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India Girish Chandra Murmu said on Wednesday that the CAG’s outreach is now being extended to include political executives to highlight audit concerns.

The objective behind such an initiative is to build a shared understanding of the most pressing concerns in governance and find possible solutions, Murmu said during an orientation programme with the officer trainees of the Indian Information Service (IIS) belonging to three batches of 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Murmu further said that the media is a very powerful tool that adds value to society. “In the Indian context, it has helped to disseminate the government’s plans and initiatives. As a probationer, you have to understand the perspective and vision of your department, and it should improve the country’s image in the international arena,” he said.

Murmu further stressed that the public has the right to access fair and objective information, whether it is about the government or otherwise.

“As officers, you should be able to guide the ministries and departments, the dignitaries and functionaries you are going to cover. Here positioning, marketing and principles will come to play a role. The core of your training is to learn these strategies, and the soft skills to add value to your work,” he said.