CAG should offer suggestions to improve environment, Ansari says

JAIPUR: Vice-President Hamid Ansari on Saturday said CAG has an important role to play in efforts towards improving environment by not only commenting on the effectiveness of the rules and regulations in this regard but also by offering suggestions to the government for the purpose.

He said that India has been active in international forums relating to environmental protection, and is party to 94 multilaterals environmental agreements.

Ansari was inaugurating the International Centre for Environment Audit and Sustainable Development (ICED) set up by the Supreme Audit Institution of India, headed by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

"We have signed the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and acceded to the Kyoto Protocol in 2002,"he said.

The VP said the importance of environment audit has been compounded by the ever increasing expenditure on protection and conservation of environment.

He recalled the growing international commitments made by India as state party to various global treaties and conventions and introduction of laws and regulations aimed at controlling degradation of environment.

There is an increasing environmental awareness as corroborated by various grassroots green movements across India, he said.

Ansari said the CAG, besides commenting on effectiveness of rules, regulations and programmes for conserving the environment, should also offer concrete recommendations to the executive for improving environmental governance.

Speaking on the occasion, CAG, Vinod Rai, said CAG has been actively associating itself with the International Community of Supreme Audit Institutions to factor in Environmental concerns while undertaking auditing.