Haryana: CAG-certified accountants to audit panchayats, local bodies

The audit of panchayats and municipal bodies is set to come under the scanner of the auditors certified by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) — a development that will go a long way in checking financial irregularities and instill accountability, a National media outlet reported.

Acting on an advisory issued by Subir Mallick, Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General, state Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal has written to the Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department, to get the audit conducted by CAG-certified auditors.

Earlier, in an advisory to the government, Mallick noted that “the audits conducted by CAG and local fund auditors of the Haryana Government, besides the successive finance commissions, have highlighted inadequacies in the maintenance of accounts in the panchayats and municipal bodies.”

“A major problem is the non-availability of qualified auditors in local areas as chartered accountants and other qualified professional accountants may not be interested in taking up employment and working in villages and small towns due to distances from big cities and low remuneration. This problem can largely be addressed by creating a pool of accountants willing to work in local areas and possessing the requisite skill sets to prepare relatively simple accounts of these bodies,” he said.

To address this problem, CAG, after consultations with stakeholder ministries, signed a memorandum with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) to develop a set of online certification courses for accountants in November last year. It launched three-month courses, two each for rural and urban areas.

Officials said after getting certified, the accountants would be able to seek employment in the local bodies. “This is expected to be a significant contribution towards skill development, and over time, create a pool of certified accountants in local areas,” the advisory said, adding that the initiative would strengthen accountability.