Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that it is necessary to change the negative image of audit. Auditors scrutinize the accounts of the government while being actually alert, cautious and vigilant. Auditors are helpful to the government in preventing unnecessary expenditure. Audit para and their suggestions are the lessons of good governance. Chief Minister Shri Chouhan was addressing the inaugural session of the one-day ‘Role of Audit in Reforming Governance’ seminar at Minto Hall, Bhopal under Audit Awareness Week.

Chief Minister Shri Chouhan said that governments organize various types of days like Environment Day, Sports Day, Teacher’s Day etc. in the country, but it is an irony that we have not specially organized any day focused on audit. It is because of the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi that he started efforts in this direction to eradicate the negative image of audit institutions. Audit Day was celebrated for the first time in the country on November 16, 2021 under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Modi. The Chief Minister congratulated all the audit institutions and the officers and employees working in them. Chief Minister Shri Chouhan said that the history of audit in India is more than 160 years old. The CAG institution, in the form of a constitutional body has played a significant role in making the accounts of the government more and more transparent and accountable.

Chief Minister Shri Chouhan said that auditors are allies of the government. In the state, the Principal Accountant General is meeting the principal secretaries of all the departments, heads of offices, district collectors, public representatives etc. to determine the subjects and areas in relation to the audit action plan. This is certainly a commendable initiative. Chief Minister Shri Chouhan informed that the woman sarpanch of Barkhedi Abdullah village in Bhopal district, Sushri Bhakti Sharma, has got the distinction of becoming a member of the State Audit Advisory Board.

Referring to Sant Kabir’s couplet “Nindak Niyare Raakhiye – Aangan Kuti Chhabay, Bin Pani Bin Sabuna Nirmal Kare Subhay”, the Chief Minister said that auditors cooperate with us by evaluating the works of the government independently and impartially. They also tell us where the work needs improvement. Therefore, we should always keep them close to us as good critics and well-wishers.

Chief Minister Shri Chouhan said that after studying the auditor reports, serious action should be taken on the issues raised therein and time bound action should be taken. It is necessary to ensure that the pending audit paragraphs are resolved in time. It should be ensured that whatever records are called for audit are made available without any delay. Chief Minister Shri Chouhan said that the auditors should also try to adapt themselves according to the new techniques and methods of governance.

The one day seminar included five sessions. These sessions discussed the status of audit reports of the last three years, strategies to enhance the effectiveness of various committees, role of audit in enhancing the effectiveness of innovations being undertaken by the departments, empowering local bodies for good governance, health services in Covid-19 Discussions were held on the role of audit and improvement in service delivery and the role of state government PSUs.