CAG to audit 88 topics in FY 15; officials believe target is ambitious but Vinod Rai says it's manageable

NEW DELHI: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Shashi Kant Sharma has selected more than 88 topics for conducting performance and thematic audits of central government’s plans in the current financial year 2014-15. The move is exceptional as the government auditor usually conducts 30-35 such audits in a year.

According to information obtained under Right to Information Act, CAG plans to carry out thematic audit on 53 different topics besides performance audit on more than 35 subjects like Development of Light Combat Aircraft (Tejas), construction of indigenous aircraft carrier and integrated audit of ministry of new and renewable energy among others.

In addition, the CAG has also planned to do social audit of mid-day meal, total sanitation campaign and tribal sub plan among others. In such audits CAG involves citizens, NGOs, academic institutions and others to get the ground report.

The move is a conscious attempt to move away from the traditional compliance or financial audits towards more of an objective-based audit. Performance and thematic audit takes a holistic view to check whether government programmes have achieved the desired objectives at lowest cost and given the intended benefits. Such audit reports not only hold government financially accountable but also indicate overall performance of the government.



Officials believe that the target is ambitious and CAG might have to carry forward some of the work to next financial year. However, former CAG Vinod Rai talking to ET said that it is manageable as during his tenure a large number of trained personnel were recruited.