Om Birla calls for stronger audit monitoring, accountability in public spending
Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 4 (IANS) Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday called for stronger legislative scrutiny of public expenditure and greater accountability from governments, saying every rupee of public money must be spent transparently and in the larger public interest.
Addressing the concluding session of the two-day conference of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairpersons from Parliament and State Legislatures, held at the Kerala Assembly, Birla said audit reports and recommendations should not remain pending for years without action.
The Lok Sabha Speaker noted that the conference had adopted the Kerala resolution, which would serve as an important framework for strengthening the functioning of PACs across the country.
He said the Centre and states should work together to improve financial management, ensure discipline in public spending and make governance more transparent and accountable.
He added that budgetary allocations were rising in sectors such as education, healthcare, infrastructure, social welfare and rural development.
It was therefore important to ensure that the money allocated was used for its intended purpose and delivered the expected results.
Birla said that legislative committees had a major role in monitoring the implementation of government schemes and assessing their quality, continuity and outcomes.
He expressed concern that audit reports often remained pending for long periods without proper follow-up.
While the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) conducted independent audits, PACs had the responsibility of examining the findings and ensuring timely action on the recommendations.
The Lok Sabha Speaker also called for wider use of technology to improve the functioning of legislative committees.
He suggested that state Legislatures develop digital audit monitoring platforms on the lines of the system available to parliamentary committees.
He said officers of the CAG and PACs should receive regular training to keep pace with technological changes.
Legislators, too, should be equipped with the skills needed to use modern technology.
However, he cautioned that technology should support human judgement and not replace it.
The accuracy and impartiality of data used by committees must also be ensured.
Birla said representatives from 27 states had taken part in the conference and shared their experiences and suggestions.
Best practices followed by different states should be shared and adopted elsewhere.
He stressed that political and ideological differences should not come in the way of the common goal of financial discipline and accountability.
He thanked Kerala Assembly Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and others involved in organising the conference.
Birla said that Kerala’s democratic traditions and its contribution to social reform, education and healthcare made it an appropriate venue for the meeting.
–IANS
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