To promote transparency in the financial transactions done by the Gram Panchayats in the state, the Orissa government has decided to rope in the services of the Chartered Accountants (CAs) for compilation of data at the grassroot level. The state government with technical assistance of the National Informatics Centre (NIC) has developed a software for the purpose.
It can capture all the financial transactions made by the Gram Panchayats and would facilitate audit by the Local Fund Auditors (LFAs). All the expenditures made by the GPs can be checked by anybody from any corner of the country, sources said. Meanwhile, the government has decided to provide the GPs with computers and the process has already started.
The Orissa Computer Application Centre (OCAC) has been entrusted with the task of supplying the computers. The state has 6234 GPs and all of them do not have electricity connection to run these computers. In this backdrop, the Panchayatiraj department has requested the state energy department to electrify all the GPs, sources said. However, the government is exploring various options to rope in the services of the chartered accountants.
Who is the appropriate authority to allot such audit?
I am a chartered Accountant and would like to be empanelled for the said audit. can I get the information to apply for the same. Kishore
Well said BU
When will Maharashtra State Govt.take dision of audit of GP’s by C.A.Firm
This is a novel idea but it is hundred per cent certain that the politicians and government officers will fail this objective by subversive techniques. They will award the audits to their pet/known CAs with whom they will be able to share the (petty) fees fixed by the government for these jobs. Those sincere, dedicated and honest (but small, single or 2/3-partner) CAs who, out of their zeal to serve a great cause, have opted to do audit of the funds of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Government of India’s flagship programme for achievement of Universalization of Elementary Education (UEE) in a time bound manner, know as to how the entire purpose of this noble project has been consciously and deliberately thwarted by the bureaucrats, at the cost of the target population. The ways by which this sabotage has been achieved are: (1) by inviting for “tenders” from willing CA firms for doing this job, (2) by awarding the audits to those firms quoting the lowest “rates” as for supply of fodder, etc., (3) then, by fixing niggardly low fees for the audits-even below the rates prescribed by the ICAI, and (4) even by “negotiating” the fees in the post-tender opening meetings and, (5) finally, by allowing the minimum time for completion of the jobs and simultaneously directing the schools to give no cooperation to the audit teams as regards production of records, books of a/cs (which in most cases do not exist). In many cases, the Audit firms are yet to be paid for the audits carried out three-four years ago!
Thus, if the proposed audit of the Panchayats are also to follow the same lines, then the results also will be similar.
A very great and welcome move, which should be replicated all over the country in all the Local self governing bodies like Municipalities, corporations, panchayats, etc. It is indeed very sad that, a long time ago, a very senior Auditor of Delhi had mooted this idea and had proposed to the HP and UP governments to have such bodies’ a/cs regularly audited by CAs. But, due to the stubborn objections from the politicians and their appendage, i.e., the bureaucrats for obvious reasons.
The various self-styled corruption-fighter NGOs should actually impress upon the government to make it mandatory to have the a/cs of all the local self bodies audited by CAs. This will not necessarily ensure hundred percent integrity among those empowered to disburse funds of these bodies, but will to some extent act as a restraint on the loot of these funds and ensure that the funds are indeed spent for the stated purposes.