Khushi Doshi
Published on: April 4, 2022 at 17:15 IST
A Parliamentary Committee tasked with scrutinising all papers laid on the table of the House has summoned the National Auditor for the first time to explain the “Unreasonable delays” in submitting Annual Reports and Audited Accounts.
Officials from the Comptroller and Auditor General of India will appear before the Lok Sabha’s Committee on Papers Laid on Monday to discuss ways to ensure compliance from the more than 1,000 Autonomous Bodies and Public Sector Units under various Ministries that have not submitted their accounts on time.
‘As per records, there is no Precedent regarding the working of this Committee (on Papers Laid) when the Comptroller and Auditor General has been called to inquire into the delays by Ministries/ Public Sector Units/ Autonomous Bodies etc., while clarifying Audit Objections. I do not think any other Parliamentary Committee other than the Public Accounts Committee has ever summoned the Comptroller and Auditor General,’ Pandey, the Bahujan Samaj Party, Member of Parliament from Ambedkar Nagar, said.
The Public Accounting Committee is the oldest Parliamentary Committee, and it Oversees scrutinising the Government of India’s appropriation Accounts and the Comptroller and Auditor General’s Reports on them.
The Committee will hear from Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General’s G.Vishwanathan and Rakesh Mohan, DG-Commercial Ritika Bhatia, DG-Parliamentary Committees Shailendra Vikram Singh, Principal Director-ABs Nameeta Prasad, and DG of Audit Manish Kumar.
A Parliamentary Committee, which functions similarly to a Mini-Parliament, has the Authority to summon representatives from any Ministry/ Department/ Organization/ Public Sector Undertaking, as well as Autonomous Organisations, according to Pandey.
The Committee on Papers Laid has summoned representatives of Organisations, as well as their Administrative Ministries and Departments, who have failed to lay their papers on time, and has issued Directives and suggestions, as well as Observations and Recommendations.
The Committee has recommended that Ministries create a dashboard for each Autonomous Body that receives Funds or Grants from the Consolidated Fund of India to show Accounting at each step, allowing the required process to be completed on time.
Also Read: Madras High Court urges to free ‘Caged Parrot CBI’ in a recent Order
