Accountants General Conference to focus on Audit of NGOs receiving government grants

[Guest guest]

Office of the Comptroller & Auditor General of India

10, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg

New Delhi-110002

19th Sept., 2005

PRESS RELEASE

Accountants General Conference to focus on Audit of NGOs receiving government

grants

The 23rd biennial conference of Accountants General to be held in New Delhi from

the 20th September will focus on the audit of Non-governmental Organisations

receiving government grants and discuss modalities for switching over to accrual

accounting from the present cash based system. The increased reliance on the

NGOs for implementing development projects and welfare activities poses a new

challenge to auditors to audit their accounts for ensuring accountability. The

Accountants General, in line with their commitment to continuous quality

improvement, will discuss adoption of best practices of audit quality management

systems and means of enhancing effectiveness of audit both with regard to

regularity and performance.

The three day conference will be inaugurated by the President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul

Kalam. The Minister of State for Finance Mr. S.S. Palanimanickam will address

the inaugural session to be attended, among others, by the Public Accounts

Committee Chairman Mr. V.K. Malhotra and the Chairman of the Committee on Public

Undertakings Mr. Rupchand Pal.

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India, CAG convenes a meeting of the

Accountants General every alternate year to evolve strategies and formulate

detailed action plans for managing change and reviewing strategies for the

future. The previous conferences have led to several new initiatives. The

Conference this year will try to bring about consensus on the medium term goals

that the Indian Audit and Accounts Department should set for itself in order to

achieve linkages of public audit with good governance, adopting best practices

on audit quality management system and enhancing effectiveness of audit. The

Conference will also have a mid-term review of the perspective plan of the

Indian Audit and Accounts Department for 2003-08.

The Accountants General head the offices of the Indian Audit and Accounts

Department located in states. They provide assistance to State Governments by

compiling their accounts, submitting quarterly appreciation reports of their

financial positions, preparing their annual Finance and Appropriation Accounts

and maintaining accounts and authorizing entitlements to their employees such as

General Provident Fund, Pension and keeping track of house building, motor car

and other advances to the employees. Application of information technology has

resulted in major improvements in delivery of these services.

Over the years, the audit by the CAG of the receipts of the Union and States has

led not only to detection of under assessment of revenues but also helped in

plugging of revenue leakages and correction of system deficiencies through issue

of administrative orders and amendments of statutes. The audit by the CAG looks

at the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of the expenditure incurred by the

Union and State Governments in all sectors with a view to ascertain whether

optimum returns have been secured from the investments. A few major schemes

across the country are taken up every year and reviewed by audit. These reviews

apprise Parliament or state legislature of the efficacy of the programmes

approved by them and provide inputs to the Ministries on lacunae and weaknesses

in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms pointing out

instances of mismanagement, waste and fraud.

Cross posted:kria

Forwarded by :

--------------------------

A.SANKAR

Executive Director

EMPOWER. 107J / 133E, puram

TUTICORIN-628 008, INDIA

E-mail: <ttn_empower@...>