Govt Deptts should take quick action on shortcomings: LG

Jammu, Nov 24: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Friday urged the government departments to take quick action on the shortcomings and said that public audit ensures every rupee was well spent to change the lives of the people.

An official spokesman in a statement issued here said that addressing the closing ceremony of ‘Audit Week’ in Jammu, the LG impressed on the government departments to take quick action on the shortcomings.

“In the era of reforms, it should be the endeavour of the audit community to present the audit report and necessary facts immediately so that action related to the evaluation of policies and programmes is taken without any delay,” he said. “Audit observation and recommendation should be seen as a guide so that every penny of public exchequer improves the living standards of the common man.”

Sinha said that all officers should change their thinking of looking at audit reports and audit observations as criticism of their work.

“If you read these reports carefully and follow the recommendations of the audit community, necessary improvements can be brought in governance,” he said.

“Public audit ensures that every rupee is well spent to bring about a change in the lives of the people standing in the last queue of development,” the LG said.

He appreciated the efforts of the audit community towards transparent and accountable governance.

Sinha said that the week-long audit day celebrations provide an opportunity to reflect on the critical role the audit community plays in contributing to good governance and shaping the governance landscape of the nation.

“One of the earliest institutions established to bring transparency, accountability, and honesty in public life is the institution of Comptroller and Auditor General of India. Our forefathers while drafting the Constitution had a clear opinion that the Auditor General will be the most important officer in the democratic processes,” he said. “Baba Saheb Ambedkar had said that the position of the Auditor General is the most important in the Indian Constitution and he will be the only person who will see to it that there is no expenditure over what the Parliament has voted for or what is provided for in the Appropriation Bill of the Parliament.”

The LG talked about the significant change taking place in the administrative and business processes due to e-governance and digital penetration.

He said that this change had brought new challenges and opportunities for the audit community to pay special attention to the safety and security of the IT system and also make institutions and youth partners at the Panchayat level.

“On the one hand, the use of artificial intelligence and knowledge-based expert systems has facilitated audit risk evaluation, internal control evaluation, and audit planning, while on the other new challenges have also emerged due to concerns about data security and minimum human control,” Sinha said. “We have to strike a balance and use every tool available to ensure proper utilisation of resources and make life easier for the beneficiaries of the schemes.”

He commended the key endeavours of the Audit and Accounts Offices of J&K, over the last few years.

The LG said that initiatives like bulk settlement of pending audit paras, collaborative corrective action with J&K departments to improve their operations, pension adalats, and progress in end-to-end computerisation of pension cases showcase their commitment to innovation and efficiency.

“These initiatives not only benefit the J&K administration's departments but also directly impact the lives of the ordinary citizens of J&K,” he said.

Principal Accountant General (Audit), J&K, Pramod Kumar and Principal Accountant General Abhishek Gupta gave a brief overview of the extensive audit exercises and activities conducted by the office of Accountant General in J&K.

Advisor to Lt Governor Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar; Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta; Principal Secretary Finance Department Santosh D Vaidya; Commissioner Secretary GAD, Sanjeev Verma; and IGP Jammu Anand Jain were also present on the occasion.