CS to closely monitor performance of committees
*Even first reply not furnished in response to CAG’s IRs
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 4: The Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has fixed one month time for all the Administrative Secretaries for clearance of pending Audit Paras and outstanding accounts as even after repeated instructions from time to time the departments are reluctant to act as per the Regulations of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
In its edition dated May 26, 2021, EXCELSIOR had exclusively reported that several Government departments are not paying serious attention towards settlement of audit observations of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India even after forming of Audit Committees.
These Audit Committees were framed on the instructions of Financial Commissioner, Finance Department dated January 8, 2021 only after EXCELSIOR in its edition dated January 4, 2021 had reported that no attention was being paid towards Regulation of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India pertaining to the settlement of pending audit observations.
Today, Commissioner Secretary to the Government, General Administration Department Manoj Kumar Dwivedi has issued a circular wherein it has been admitted that large number of Inspection Reports /Audit Paras are pending with the departments where even the first reply has not been furnished.
As per CAG Regulations, the replies to the observations raised in the Inspection Reports (IRs) are to be furnished within 4 weeks of receipt. Timely settlement of the audit observations is important as it involves taking remedial action as well as streamlining the procedures.
“Vide circular dated January 8, 2021 issued by the Finance Department it was decided to set up Audit Committees in every department for settlement of pending Audit Paras but it has been observed that huge amounts of the Red DC Accounts and OB items are outstanding against different departments”, the GAD Commissioner Secretary said.
The Red DC Accounts are to be submitted within 60 days of the drawal of such advance and the non-submission of the Red DC Accounts adversely impacts the booking of expenditure and its reflection in Government accounts, he said.
Accordingly, all the Administrative Secretaries have been advised to take up necessary steps in clearing OB items, Audit Paras, Draft Paras and outstanding Red DC Accounts within one month positively.
It has been mentioned that Chief Secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta will review the progress on this aspect in the monthly meeting of the Administrative Secretaries as inordinate delay is creating embarrassment for the Government before the Principal Accountant General and creating hurdles in streamlining of accounts.
It is pertinent to mention here that Audit Committees are required to hold meetings on number and gist of audit observations/paragraphs included in the audit report(s) of the CAG of the previous year; number of gist of major irregularities intimated by the Accountant General (Audit) during the previous year, action taken report by the department on these aspects and number of audit observations communicated in draft audit reports/Inspection Reports issued during the previous year and gist of observations with substantial money value and those with serious internal control lapses.
The CAG Regulation 197 reads: “The officer in charge of the auditable entity shall send the reply to an audit note or Inspection Report within four weeks of its receipt. Even if it is not feasible to furnish the final replies to some of the observations in the audit note or inspection report within this time limit, the first reply shall not be delayed on that account and an interim reply may be given indicating the likely date by which the final reply shall be furnished”.
“As Chief Secretary has personally started looking into strict adherence to the CAG Regulations the situation is likely to improve in the coming days”, sources said.
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