Dayanand's World

Ever since Union Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal tried to belittle the CAG Report on the 2G Spectrum Telecom Scam and its criticism that the scam had cost a loss of Rs.1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer,there have been concerted attempts from the ruling party and their cohorts to undermine the institution and importance of the CAG. Sibal had tried to hoodwink the public by talking that the loss was 'only notional' and that the CAG was overstepping its limits. Some of the recent criticisms in the media, on the reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) to the Parliament seem to be arising out of limited perception of the mandate, responsibilities, and jurisdiction of the supreme audit institution of the country. The institution of the CAG is created by the constitution in order to assist the Parliament in ensuring parliamentary supremacy over the executive. Unlike the financial auditor or a mere book keeper, the constitutional auditor basically deploys three disti

IMPORTANCE OF THE PERFORMANCE AUDIT BY CAG Some of the recent criticisms in the media, on the reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) to the Parliament seem to be arising out of limited perception of the mandate, responsibilities, and jurisdiction of the supreme audit institution of the country. The institution of the CAG is created by the constitution in order to assist the Parliament in ensuring parliamentary supremacy over the executive. The Constitution and the CAG's Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service Act (DPC Act) elaborate the CAG's duties, powers, and jurisdiction with regard to the accounting and auditing functions of the entire receipts and expenditure of the government, comprising the union, states and all union territories of the country. THREE FRAMEWORKS Unlike the financial auditor or a mere book keeper, the constitutional auditor basically deploys three distinct audit frameworks for auditing the entire gamut of receipts and expenditure

Since the past couple of months, nothing seems to be going right for the Govt. Starting from the slap it received from the Supreme Court which cancelled the CVC appointment, the CWG, 2G scams chargesheets and subsequent arrests of ministers and other high profile personalities, the Govt. is on a roller coaster. The latest addition came with the submission of an affidavit by the Planning Commission to the Supreme Court on who constitutes a BPL- Below Poverty Line - person. The Planning Commission headed by Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Dy. Chairman and having PM Manmohan Singh as the ex-officio Chairman, has told the Supreme Court that poverty line for urban and rural areas in India could be provisionally placed at Rs. 965 per capita per month and Rs. 781 per capita per month respectively. This would mean those earning over Rs. 32 a day in urban areas and over Rs. 25 a day in rural India will no longer be considered for Below Poverty Line (BPL) benefits. The Commission has revised its BPL