In fact, the importance of audit is essential to know in order to feel serious about it and thus it becomes incumbent upon the department concerned to ensure the audit team received wholehearted co-operation so that accuracy of books of accounts and scrupulously following of set procedures, guidelines, financial code books, circulars and instructions from higher authorities in conducting the affairs of the department concerned- mainly related to finance and allied issues, could be ascertained. It would not be any exaggeration to admit that in Jammu and Kashmir, audit and post audit activities have all along been accorded optional and casual attention even to the extent of ignoring the guidelines, the audit notes and observations of the statutory authority of Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India. On many occasions, we have explicitly pointed about specific instances and voiced concern over the observations of the CAG not being attended to in order to rectify them or arranging to take suitable course of action depending upon the nature of the seriousness of the audit observation.
We cannot ignore either that slowly the perception of and the approach towards the vital aspect of audit is definitely undergoing a gradual change in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir but that is not quite satisfactory both in terms of how many departments were comparatively doing better and how much compliance levels were achieved. Austere auditing at regular intervals is a guarantee against no financial frauds and detection of the ones, if any, quite in the nick of time and thus proving a bedrock of accuracy and fair play vis-a-vis financial areas and other sensitive functions of Government departments. Why should audit observations remain pending for periods beyond prescribed limits as that sounds synonymous with the symptoms of grave physical ailment but not seeking medical assistance in time. There should be strict monitoring at higher levels of attending to audit observations made by the CAG and any non- compliance treated really seriously. However, we learn and it looks astounding too, that Finance Department in itself, considered to be watchdog of guarding UT’s finances and allied issues, appears to be completely unaware of how much compliance took place and after what period by the departments concerned , corporations, PSUs etc .
In fact, a foolproof system of ensuring and monitoring compliance would be a mechanism of easy reference and maintaining of details and data about which department , corporation etc was audited and when , the extent and nature of audit observations and asking the concerned departments to report and reply by a specific period, say a fortnight and rectify the mistakes , comply with and confirm compliance of audit observations within a stipulated time and to monitor whether due and prompt response was there from the Audited Department . In fact, a strong reminder from the GAD to the concerned department should be about the ”due date” of reporting of audit observations and irregularities in a prescribed format .When on the contrary, the Finance Department did not itself fully comply with section 23 and Regulation 145 of the CAG Act 1971, how could departments and other Government agencies be expected to be prompt in response? That scenario is really unacceptable.
Financial and audit experts know the general inclination in Audited Departments and other institutions of the personnel working there, generally speaking, having negative tendencies towards auditing and also avoiding or delaying compliance as that entails unknotting the reasons of violation and dithering from set guidelines and accepted procedures. In fact, if anyone is unwelcome in an institution , establishment , department and whatever , though not shown outwardly , it is the auditor and his or her team which the auditors fully know but how much is it important to ensure that working in departments ran as per norms and without wrong practices having bearing on finances, hardly needs to be emphasised. It would be in proper semblance, therefore, that eagle eyed monitoring of auditing, settling of audit observations (read irregularities pointed out) strictly in accordance with the stipulated regulations took place. In this respect, framing of requisite committees, their assigned roles and ultimate streamlining the working of departments etc as per rules, regulations, procedures and designated authorities and sanctions, assume cardinal importance .
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