Comptroller And Auditor General

Upgrading India's auditing standards will boost credibility: NFRA chief

Aligning India's auditing with global standards will help boost investors' confidence, attract more funds and ensure greater credibility to the financial data, National Financial Reporting Authority's chief Ajay Bhushan Prasad Pandey has said. He also asserted that the country cannot have "inferior standards" when the pursuit is to become a "Viksit Bharat". NFRA was constituted under the company's law in October 2018. The watchdog has passed more than 80 orders. In a recent interview, Pandey told PTI that there are certain gaps in existing auditing standards and that internationally, many standards were updated to address loopholes that had led to various scams. "In India, we are yet to update the standards in various areas. In the last 20 years, many of these standards are there in most parts of the world. We want to become Viksit Bharat, and our standards should also be aligned with global standards. We cannot have inferior standards," the NFRA Chairperson said. According to him

Wages of Assam tea workers meagre, welfare scheme implementation poor: CAG

Wages of tea garden workers in Assam are meagre, with several shortcomings and areas of concern in implementation of labour laws and worker welfare provisions, a recent Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report has said. It also found the state government's intervention in fixing wages as per the Minimum Wage Act (MW Act) insufficient, noting that efforts to improve the lives of the workers have fallen short of making any substantial change. The performance audit on Implementation of Schemes for Welfare of Tea Tribe' for the period 2015-16 to 2020-21 maintained that low income and lack of education have been major barriers to the overall development of the workers in the state. The audit was performed in four zones Cachar, Dibrugarh, Nagaon and Sonitpur. There are 390 tea estates in the four sampled zones, of which 40 estates (10 per cent) were selected based on the size of the plantations and number of workers employed. Apart from scrutiny of records, the exercise included ...

Assam govt's outstanding debt rises 107% in 5 years from FY19: CAG

The Assam government's outstanding debt increased by over 107 per cent from 2018-19 to 2022-23 with the growth rate of outstanding liability also rising during the period, a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report said on Friday. The report for the 2022-23 fiscal, which was tabled in the assembly, noted that the capital expenditure by the state government decreased by over 20 per cent in FY'23 as compared to 2021-22. The outstanding debt of the state "rapidly increased by 107.34 per cent from Rs 59,425.61 crore in 2018-19 to Rs 1,23,214.80 crore in 2022-23", the report said, adding that the growth rate of outstanding liability also increased from 20.60 per cent in 2018-19 to 23.32 per cent in 2022-23. The outstanding liabilities-GSDP ratio also rose from 19.21 per cent in 2018-19 to 24.98 per cent in FY'23 due to increased borrowings from the open market, the auditor said. The public debt constituted 81.98 per cent of the total borrowing at the end of 2022-23. During the year

Goa's fiscal parameters improved under CM Pramod Sawant post Covid yrs: CAG

The CAG has appreciated the Pramod Sawant government's efforts in improving fiscal parameters, including increasing revenue surplus and bringing down fiscal deficit to GSDP ratio in the post-COVID years. A report of the Comptroller Auditor General (CAG) till March 31, 2023, was tabled during the just-concluded session of the Goa Legislative Assembly. In an important achievement for the Sawant government, the CAG stated the state has succeeded in improving fiscal parameters like revenue, fiscal and primary deficits etc.\, compared to the previous four years. The report focused on the achievements of Chief Minister Sawant and the Finance Department team in improving the health of state finances very effectively post the COVID pandemic. The analysis of the report makes it clear that Sawant has been a very effective Finance Minister and achieved a majority of targets under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act and Rules. The report pointed out tremendous improveme

Underspending by key ministries may help govt achieve FY24 deficit target

According to latest data released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) the 15 departments have cumulatively spent only 17.8 per cent of the Rs 1.45 trillion allocated in the Budget

CAG report flags shortcomings in Tourism Ministry's Swadesh Darshan Scheme

The Swadesh Darshan Scheme of Tourism Ministry was launched despite "objection of the Planning Commission/Ministry of Finance" and the ministry "did not act" upon the recommendation of a committee to formulate an umbrella scheme by merging the projects having overlapping objectives, a CAG report has found. The Performance Audit Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on Swadesh Darshan Scheme, covering the period from its inception in January 2015 to March 2022, was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday, according to an official statement. The Swadesh Darshan Scheme, launched in January 2015 with an initial outlay of Rs 500 crore, is a central sector flagship scheme of the Tourism Ministry for the development of tourism infrastructure in the country. The ministry identified 15 tourist circuits for development under the Scheme, namely Himalayan circuit, North East circuit, Krishna circuit, Buddhist circuit, Coastal circuit, Desert circuit, Tribal circuit, Eco circuit, Wildlif

CAG to conduct audit into 'irregularities' in Delhi CM residence renovation

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India will conduct a special audit into alleged "irregularities and violations" in the "reconstruction" of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence, Raj Niwas officials said on Tuesday. The Ministry of Home Affairs had recommended the special CAG audit after taking note of a letter it received on May 24, officials at Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena's office said. The letter was received from the LG office and it pointed out "gross and prima facie financial irregularities" in the "reconstruction" of the chief minister's official residence, they claimed. No immediate reaction was available from the CM's office or the ruling Aam Aadmi Party.

Mizoram made wasteful expenditure of over Rs 15 cr in ropeway project: CAG

The Mizoram government has incurred "wasteful expenditure" of over Rs 15 crore in the installation of the rope way cable car project from Dartlang to Chaltlang here, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has said. The CAG report said that the union tourism ministry observed that the work components consultant did not did not submit a feasibility report or mention in its DPR that the project would go through three power transmission lines. The Rs 99.07 Aizawl-Lengpui-Hmuifang under the Eco circuit theme of Swadeshi Darshan scheme ropeway project by the union tourism ministry was started in March 2017 was to be completed in 30 months. The Dartlang-Chaltlang project was a part of it. The Union Tourism Ministry had, however, observed in December 2019 that the work component of the ropeway was undertaken without obtaining the necessary approvals and without assessing the feasibility of the project, the CAG report said. Moreover, the meeting between the tourism department an

Four CPSEs extended Rs 2,609 cr worth undue benefits to execs: CAG report

The CAG recommended that these CPSEs should discontinue reimbursement of "running and maintenance" expenses of vehicles as it violates DPE guidelines

CAG calls upon supreme audit institutions to work for mutual benefits

He sought innovative suggestions from members to shape Knowledge Share Committee strategies for the next three years

Post office staff swindles Rs 96 cr of public money in saving schemes: CAG

Auditor's report alleges fraudulent withdrawals, forgery, cheating in postal circles across India

NHAI violated contract sanctity, gave concessionaires undue perks: CAG

The top auditory body found that concessions in 20 projects led to deferments of Rs 9,296 crore premium payable to NHAI between 2014 and 2019

States to get matching amounts from Centre for SPSEs' privatisation

The Centre has allocated Rs 5,000 crore for disinvestment of SPSEs and asset monetisation

CAG vs govt: The growing tussle between the auditor and the audited

Over the past decade, rapid structural changes in the economy have radically altered what was once a low-profile department

CAG asks MHA to pace up completion of much-delayed India-Nepal roads

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has asked the MHA to increase its efforts to ensure speedy completion of India-Nepal strategic roads

CAG flags lack of transparency in food subsidy for FY17 and FY18

The CAG report said the government undertook funding of revenue and capital expenditure using extra budgetary resources in both the years

Citizen scorecards for better accountability

The CAG's auditing standards highlight the importance of performance audits for promoting transparency and evaluating outcomes

BCCI case: CAG moves SC, seeks modification of July 2016 directive

The CAG, in its application, has sought modification of the July 18, 2016 order by which the apex court had accepted the recommendations of Justice R M Lodha committee

The missing policy

Decision on public sector enterprises should not be delayed

Why Modi's PM CARES is more democratic than PM National Relief Fund

With a constitutionally sound trust in place, expectations would be that PM CARES becomes a war chest India can readily rely on in emergencies when the future of an entire country is at stake