SPEECH OF HON’BLE GOVERNOR PUNJAB AND ADMINISTRATOR, UT CHANDIGARH, SHRI BANWARILAL PUROHIT ON THE OCCASION OF 2ND AUDIT DIWAS AT CHANDIGARH ON NOVEMBER 24, 2022

I am told that CAG of India has celebrated2nd Audit Diwas at Delhi on 16 and 17 Nov this year and its field offices across India are celebrating Audit week by undertaking various outreach activities.

Offices in Chandigarh are organising Cycle Rally,Swacchh Bharat Abhiyan,Essay and Quiz competition, Pension Adalats in various Districts and interaction with Public accounts Committee of Haryana and Punjab.

The main aim of such activities is to apprise various stake holders about the functioning of CAG .

The focus of CAG over the years have transformed a lot and now its less a fault finding body and more and more taking the role of helping the legislature and executive about gaps in devising a scheme and its implementation so that midway corrections can be made .

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The founding fathers of our Constitution had envisaged a prominent role for public audit in our country’s governance and accountability framework . The concept is not new. In the old treatises, ancient texts of administration, particularly Arthashastra, Kautilya prescribed extensive arrangements for accounting and auditing . The organizational structure for financial management comprised two distinct hierarchies - a Treasurer and a Comptroller-Auditor – both were directly responsible to the King. He placed high premium on public audit conducted by incorruptible officials.

Good governance is the exercise of power, within the framework of the Constitution, for efficient and effective management of our economic and social resources for the well-being of the vast multitude of the people, through the institutions of state. But it has to be nurtured. Audit institutions play an enabling role in ushering in good governance in democratic functioning.

Audit is a means to an end rather than an end in itself. While audit findings are a barometer of good governance, their utility is manifested only when all the stakeholders, particularly the Executive, Legislature and citizens believe in the credibility of these findings and use them for enhancing the quality of governance. This casts a great responsibility on the public auditor to conduct audit professionally with utmost diligence and independence , and to report in a fair and balanced manner. Both the public auditor and the audited entity have to recognize that the objective of audit is ultimately to improve the implementation of governance strategies. Towards this end, audit should be considered a tool for improvement .

Time-bound delivery of goods and services by public functionaries is the right of citizens. It is not a bounty from the State. Many States have legislated for prompt delivery of public services. The institution of CAG can facilitate successful implementation of this legal right by reporting through its compliance audits the achievement of these performance standards by public authorities.

Governments should take serious note of advice made by an institution like CAG. This will positively impact our public service delivery standards.

The sharing the audit findings in exit meetings gives Executive ample opportunity to make course correction to ensure better reach of schemes.

Friends,

With my long experience in public life I presume that main reason of success / failure of any Govt activity/programme or scheme is quality of Monitoring based on field data and feedback from the beneficiaries . I have observed that CAG over the years is focusing more and more on social audit to assess the impact of schemes and outcomes thereof and is providing valuable feedback to Executive and legislature .

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable development adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. If we look to these goals of sustainable development to which India is also signatory, they are:

No poverty

Zero Hunger

Good health and well being

Quality Education

Gender Equality

Clean Water and sanitation

Affordable and clean energy

Decent work and Economic Growth

Industry innovation and infrastructure

Reduced inequalities

Sustainable Cities and communities

Responsible production and consumption

Climate Action

Life below water

Life on Land

Peace Justice and strong Institutions

Partnership for the goals.

It can be seen that most of goals are in social sector and need close monitoring otherwise best of well thought out and funded policy can not achieve outcomes .

Director General of Audit ,Chandigarh has planned two days interaction with local Bureaucracy to apprise them about changing role of CAG over the years and team work for better outcomes and deliverables in general and realisation of Sustainable Development Goals in particular .

Friends,

I believe that as watchdogs of national public finances, the institution of CAG has a positive and pre-eminent role in accelerating national development.

On the occasion of Audit Diwas, I extend my best wishes to all the officers of CAG and expect that they will work in close coordination with the Executive to realise the common Goals.

Wish you all the very best in your endeavours.

Thank you,

Jai Hind.