CAG seeks to set up international training centre in Rajkot for local administrations
During his visit to the office of the accountant general (AG) in Rajkot, Murmu said that the CAG will set up an international centre for local bodies in the city.
4 min read
Girish Chandra MurmuComptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India Girish Chandra Murmu on Thursday said that the audit watchdog wants to study the experience of other countries in auditing institutes of local self-governance and set up an international training centre in Rajkot.
During his visit to the office of the accountant general (AG) in Rajkot, Murmu said that the CAG will set up an international centre for local bodies in the city. “We are going to set up an institute here. Our idea is to set up a training institute at the international level for local governments, local administrations… We have taken the initiative and our idea is to start one international class tentatively from April this year,” Murmu said, adding the CAG plans to run the proposed institute out of the existing building of the AG office in Rajkot temporarily. He said that CAG will renovate the existing AG office building for housing the proposed international centre and that it will shift to a new building when it is constructed.
Murmu further said that before deciding the final contours of the proposed institute, the CAG wants to study international experience in this field by organising an international meeting in February. “In this context, we have scheduled an international meeting towards the end of February. Around 20 participants have registered for this three-day meeting and we have got confirmation from 10 to 12 countries,” he said.
In around 40 countries of the world, Murmu said, the apex auditors conduct audits of local bodies. India would like to study their experiences, he added. “Not in every country of the world does CAG conduct audits of local bodies. They have their auditors, be at the mayor level—they don’t have the panchayat system but the mayor or county system. But in approximately 40 countries, an audit of local bodies is done. We want to study their experience,” Murmu said, adding in India, there are 2.5 lakh panchayats, around 7,000 to 8,000 municipalities and municipal corporations. “We can offer training courses for capacity building of these institutes because lots of funds are flowing at local levels directly,” he said.
Murmu inspected the proposed sites of the proposed new building for the international centre as well as residential quarters and hostels for staff and trainees. “The proposal is to construct a new administrative building adjacent to the AG office building on Race Course Ring Road and residential quarters and hostels for the staff and trainees on University Road of Rajkot by demolishing existing quarters which are in dilapidated condition,” an officer privy to the proposal to set up the institute told The Indian Express.
Murmu, a Gujarat cadre IAS officer, opined that Rajkot will be an ideal city to host the proposed international centre. “In Gujarat, the panchayat raj system is very strong so we thought why not (the proposed institute) be set up in Saurashtra in Gujarat,” Murmu said, adding when the construction of the AG office building in Gandhinagar is completed, offices of the principal accountant general (accounts and entitlements) and principal auditor general (audit-I) will be shifted from Rajkot to Gandhinagar. Similarly, the office of PAG(Audit-II) in Ahmedabad will also shift to Gandhinagar.
He said that the Rajkot AG office will then be reduced to a regional office only, thus making space available for the proposed institute in the Rajkot AG office building.
At present, in Gujarat, the audit of municipal corporations, which are local governments for cities, is done by the Examiner of Local Fund Account that functions under the aegis of the state finance department.
You May Like
Photos
