On going through news reports on corruption of past few months, references to CAG keeps popping up quite frequently. It stands for Comptroller and Auditor General, an institution which emanates form our constitution, entrusted the duty of maintaining accounts of Govt. of India and auditing it to ensure financial accountability. Appointed by the President himself/herself, CAG is generally a senior officer of the Indian Administrative Services. Essentially, CAG evaluates the performance of various governmental ministries and departments for any wastages in expenditure.It offers a feedback to the government to bring efficiency in its functioning.
Within circles of Politics and Administration, CAG's office has often been criticized for being out-dated, its advice merely being a post-mortem of the government and that it acts only when the damage is done.
Nevertheless, recent political scenario suggests to us that the role of CAG in today's democracy is changing from a mere account-checker to conscience keeper. Be it 2G, Commonwealth games, Adarsh Housing, functioning of Coast Gurad,etc, it was CAG reports which exposed large scale scams and the shoddy policies of the govt. Being a constitutional body, its reports have a high validity and even govt cannot shy away from its claims. It makes an excellent tool in hands of the opposition to demand transparency and accountability from the govt in the floor of parliament. At the end of the day it forces govt to act responsibly and responsively.
Discussion would not be complete if credit is not awarded to Mr. Vinod Rai, who is presently the CAG of India, who has made the headlines for his unforgiving audits and scathing reports, and who is responsible to resurrect the offices of CAG saving it from being outdated and irrelevant.Numerous former CAGs have been trying to uphold the sanctity of this constitutional body, but none did it better than Mr.Rai.
It somehow reassures our faith in our constitution makers,our constitution itself, our democracy, and reaffirms the fact that even structural mechanisms present in our polity can still be trusted upon and if used to their fullest potential will lead to desirable results.
As a common Indian esp belonging to the educated middle class section, what does this recent change in paradigm signify to me?It helps me to recognise the structures which makes the govt. more answerable so that taxpayer's money is not misused by the people in power. It educates me regarding the functioning of present day govt. so that next time when I vote I can make an informed decision. Moreover, it makes me a little optimistic that there are forces which will make my govt more transparent or it'll have to face embarrassment in media and among general public..
Within circles of Politics and Administration, CAG's office has often been criticized for being out-dated, its advice merely being a post-mortem of the government and that it acts only when the damage is done.
Nevertheless, recent political scenario suggests to us that the role of CAG in today's democracy is changing from a mere account-checker to conscience keeper. Be it 2G, Commonwealth games, Adarsh Housing, functioning of Coast Gurad,etc, it was CAG reports which exposed large scale scams and the shoddy policies of the govt. Being a constitutional body, its reports have a high validity and even govt cannot shy away from its claims. It makes an excellent tool in hands of the opposition to demand transparency and accountability from the govt in the floor of parliament. At the end of the day it forces govt to act responsibly and responsively.
Discussion would not be complete if credit is not awarded to Mr. Vinod Rai, who is presently the CAG of India, who has made the headlines for his unforgiving audits and scathing reports, and who is responsible to resurrect the offices of CAG saving it from being outdated and irrelevant.Numerous former CAGs have been trying to uphold the sanctity of this constitutional body, but none did it better than Mr.Rai.
It somehow reassures our faith in our constitution makers,our constitution itself, our democracy, and reaffirms the fact that even structural mechanisms present in our polity can still be trusted upon and if used to their fullest potential will lead to desirable results.
As a common Indian esp belonging to the educated middle class section, what does this recent change in paradigm signify to me?It helps me to recognise the structures which makes the govt. more answerable so that taxpayer's money is not misused by the people in power. It educates me regarding the functioning of present day govt. so that next time when I vote I can make an informed decision. Moreover, it makes me a little optimistic that there are forces which will make my govt more transparent or it'll have to face embarrassment in media and among general public..
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