The Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) has played a key role in promoting accountability, transparency and good governance in the country, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said on Saturday.
Hailing the exemplary role played by C&AG in independent India, Birla said its rich legacy spanning 161 years has continually evolved to meet emerging challenges.
He noted that C&AG not only transformed its auditing systems but also introduced new innovations that ensured that its work was marked by credibility and authenticity.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion of the 4th Audit Diwas in the capital, Birla mentioned that members of Parliament discuss and examine every paragraph of audit reports to ensure that public money is spent judiciously.
He said auditing government performance holds the executive accountable to the public. Birla observed that strong fiscal discipline forms the basis of a strong democracy, adding that C&AG is deliberately contributing in this direction to ensure effective functioning of Indian democracy.
He mentioned that officials from countries across the world come to study the Indian audit system and learn from it.
Birla informed that through the efforts of the Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE) of the Lok Sabha Secretariat, officials from over 50 countries visited PRIDE to better understand our audit systems. Birla noted that C&AG is leading the way globally in adapting to emerging challenges through the use of technology and innovation.
Keeping pace with the changing times, new technologies such as artificial intelligence are being adopted to make Indian audit systems even more robust and effective, he said.
On the occasion, Girish Chandra Murmu, CAG of India, presented the progress made by the government auditor, highlighting key initiatives aimed at improving public financial management and enhancing accountability. He also highlighted the transformative role of technology in audit processes.
