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From: Press Information Bureau Ministry of I&B <pib.kolkata@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Apr 9, 2010 at 5:56 PM
Subject: Releases.........pt4
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises
Public Sector Day to be Observed Tomorrow
New Delhi: April 9, 2010
Department of Public Enterprises in association with Standing
Conference of Public Enterprises and public sector fraternity will
observe the 'Public Sector Day' tomorrow for the first time. The focus
of the Public Sector Day will be to recapture the glorious history,
contributions and achievements as well as the current spirit with
which the economic revolution is being taken forward by the public
sector. H.E. President of India will inaugurate the landmark historic
initiative.
Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh, Hon'ble Minister of Heavy Industries and
Public Enterprises, Dy. Chairman, Planning Commission, top echelons of
India's economic policy makers and top executives of PSEs will grace
the occasion.
The President will present SCOPE Meritorious Awards in Specialized
Fields and address the participants while the Minister of HI&PE will
release a publication of the SCOPE Study on "The Emerging Public
Sector New Vision of a National Treasure" and will present the first
copy of the book to the President. The main function will be followed
by Technical Sessions on Relevance of State Owned Enterprises in the
Global Scenario, Emerging Trends in Coal, Oil and Gas Sectors; Power
and Infrastructure Sectors; and CSR and Governance Issues in PSEs.
All Public Sector Enterprises will also observe the Public Sector Day
in their head offices, regional offices and other units in a befitting
manner. In this regard, Debates, Quiz Programmes, Essay Competitions
on the public sector's contribution, management and as wealth creators
would also be organized so as o create greater awareness among
employees and other concerned. The holding of the Public Sector Day
will be a significant landmark and will, therefore, be a matter of
considerable national importance as well as of great interest to the
general public at large.
As a part of public sector Day celebrations two panel discussions took
place here today. The panelists, discussed in detail on two themes
namely 'Public Sector in the Service of the Nation' and 'Reforming
Financially Stressed PSEs'. Secretary DPE, Chairman, BRPSE and CMDs of
various PSEs including Navratna and Miniratna companies participated
in the discussion. Some CMDs of turnaround companies shared their
experiences as to how they could turn loss-making PSEs into profit
earning companies.
The Speakers were of the view that the most important factor which can
optimize the output of an undertaking was positive mindset and
people-centric approach. The factors like openness to new ideas,
passion for growth, team spirit, inducing sense of belongingness and
self-confidence have also important role to play in enhancing the
output of an organization.
gg/bs/dk/kol/17:40 hrs.
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
Ministry of Coal
Coal Washeries to Increase the Efficiency of Indian Coal
New Delhi: April 9, 2010
All efforts are being made to address the concern of climate and to
reduce the emissions from coal. More than two-dozen coal washeries
will be set up to improve the efficiency of Indian coal. The
Government is also trying to get improved and clean coal technology
for this purpose. This was stated by Shri Sriprakash Jaiswal while
meeting with Ms.Connie Hedegaard, Commissioner for Climate Action
European Union here today. Ms.Hedegaard called on the Minister
alongwith a delegation of European Union to brief about the
initiatives being taken to check the climate degradation.
The Minister said that in future all the power plants will have super
critical technology to exploit maximum energy from the coal with
better combustion. Efforts are also being made to improve the
characteristics of Indian coal besides improve the efficiency of coal
based plants. He said that the Government is very much concern about
the environmental issues and coal mining is being modernize to
minimize pollution. The Minister also apprised Ms.Hedegaard of
highlights of Integrated Energy Policy being formulated by the
Government.
ncj/sr/dk/kol/17:40 hrs.
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
Ministry of Defence
235th Army Ordnance Corps Day
New Delhi: April 9, 2010
Army Ordnance Corps is responsible for providing complete military
hardware to the fighting troops except ration and fuel. The Corps has
an illustrious historic past spanning more than two and a quarter
centuries with outstanding achievements, particularly in the field of
inventory management. Inherent source of pride for AOC is the
professional manner in which men and women of the Corps, both
civilians and combatants have proved their mettle both during war and
peace. Functions of AOC involve Provisioning, Procurement, Receipt,
Warehousing, Accounting and Issue of an inventory of over 4 lakh
items. As materials manager of the Indian Army, the AOC is perhaps one
of the largest logistic organisations in the world, in terms of size,
value and diversity of inventory, customer base and the geographical
extent of the supply chain.
On 08 April 2010 on the occasion of 235th anniversary, the Corps
expresses deep gratitude to all the veterans whose contributions will
always be cherished. The Corps salutes the martyrs of the Battle of
Kangla Tongbi where a small band of AOC personnel defended the Ord
Depot and fought the might of Japanese Army in the Imphal Sector
during the Second World War. The professional skills imbibed alongwith
soldierly attributes by the AOC personnel have shown discernible
results and acknowledged by the field commanders in all past and post
independence wars and operations.
In recognition of their contribution to the nation the Corps personnel
have been awarded one Mahavir Chakra, three Vir Chakras, one Kirti
Chakra, six Shaurya Chakras, 21 PVSMs, 36 AVSMs, 85 Sena Medlas, 79
VSMs, two Raksha Padaks, 32 Mention in Despatches, five unit citations
and 950 commendation cards. In addition, the Corps personnel have also
excelled in the field of adventure and sports. AOC has the distinction
of having 3 Arjuna Awardees. The sportsmen of the Corps represented
the country in various international competitions including Olympics.
Today with advancement in Warfare, the Corps is busy automating its
complete inventory, enhancing user satisfaction, providing
transparency and supplying the best value added products to the
soldier in battlefield.
s om singh/dk/kol/17:41 hrs.
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
Ministry of Defence
President Confers Gallantry and Distinguished Service Awards
New Delhi: April 9, 2010
President, Smt Pratibha Devisingh Patil conferred two Kirti Chakras
and twenty five Shaurya Chakras to Armed Forces Personnel for
displaying conspicuous gallantry, indomitable courage and extreme
devotion to duty at a solemn ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi
today.
The President also conferred fifteen Param Vishisht Seva Medals, two
Uttam Yudh Seva Medals, one Bar to Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and twenty
six Ati Vishisht Seva Medals to senior officers of the Armed Forces
for distinguished service of an exceptional order. The following is
the list of awardees:-
GALLANTRY AWARDS
KIRTI CHAKRA
1. IC-59630 Maj Amit Oscar Fernandes
2. IC-61390 Maj Suresh Suri (Posthumous)
SHAURYA CHAKRA
1. GS-173875N Operator Excavating Machinery Grade – II Satish Kumar
2. 26696 Sqn Ldr Harkirat Singh
3. IC-64795 Maj Ankur Garg
4. IC-62248 Maj Saurabh Dutt Kholia
5. 15330627 Lance Naik Sujith Babu V (Posthumous)
6. IC-57104 Maj Dinesh Singh Parmar
7. IC-63089 Maj Subramaniam Anand
8. 25871 Sqn Ldr Tarun Kumar Chaudhry
9. 776951 Sgt Mustafa Ali (Posthumous)
10. GS-171792-K Operator Excavating Machinery Pritam Chand (Posthumous)
11. GS-173772-P Driver Mechanical Transport Grade – II Piar Chand (Posthumous)
12. 9107449 Rifleman Mohd Abdul Amieen Bhat (Posthumous)
13. IC-70145 Lt Satbir Singh (Posthumous)
14. 13625790 Naik Manoj Singh (Posthumous)
15. 2795178 Sepoy Hanmant Mahadeo Yevale
16. 13622147 Hav Vipan Thakur (Posthumous)
17. SS-39651 Maj Ajay Singh
18. JC-74651 Naib Subedar Ganesh Nath
19. IC-61038 Maj Harmeet Singh Samra
20. G/114735 Hav Thangjalet (Posthumous)
21. IC-59470 Maj Manoj Aruparayil Pothen
22. 4478544 Lance Naik Davinder Singh
23. IC-63580 Capt Mudassar Iqbal
24. IC-69343 Capt Anoop Pandey
25. 120351-A POWTR CD III Chandra Sekhar (Posthumous)
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS
PARAM VISHISHT SEVA MEDAL
1. IC-24198 Lt Gen Chanroth Kunnumal Suchindra Sabu
2. 01248-K Vice Admiral Sanjeev Bhasin
3. 12939 Air Marshal Venkatraman Ramamurthy Iyer
4. 13472 Air Marshal Pramod Vasant Athawale
5. MR-03364 Lt Gen Naresh Kumar Parmar
6. IC-24219 Lt Gen Ajay Kumar Singh Chandele
7. IC-25053 Lt Gen Dalip Bhardwaj
8. IC-25064 Lt Gen Shreedharan Shyam Kumar
9. IC-25126 Lt Gen Rajinder Singh Sujlana
10. IC-24706 Lt Gen Kammula Ramachandra Rao
11. IC-25213 Lt Gen Mukesh Sabharwal
12. IC-25469 Lt Gen Karan Singh Yadava
13. IC-23689 Lt Gen (Retd) Narinder Singh Brar
14. IC-29915 Lt Gen (Retd) Vinod Chopra
15. 12833 Air Marshal (Retd) Keshava Murthy Rama Sundara
UTTAM YUDH SEVA MEDAL
1. IC-25538 Lt Gen Rabindran Krishna Swamy
2. IC-25816 Lt Gen Bikram Singh
BAR TO ATI VISHISHT SEVA MEDAL
3. IC-25457 Lt Gen Vijay Kumar Ahluwalia
ATI VISHISHT SEVA MEDAL
1. IC-24654 Lt Gen Tejinder Singh
2. IC-27146 Lt Gen Uma Shankar Prasad Sinha
3. IC-25141 Lt Gen Deepak Raj
4. IC-25442 Lt Gen Swatantarta Nand Handa
5. IC-25056 Lt Gen Inderjit Singh
6. IC-25815 Lt Gen Gurdeep Singh
7. IC-27325 Lt Gen Rajesh Kochhar
8. V-00330 Lt Gen Jai Krishan Srivastava
9. 02373-T Vice Admiral Paras Nath
10. 01701-R Vice Admiral Pradip Kumar Chatterjee
11. 01773-D Vice Admiral Anurag Gopalan Thapliyal
12. 13606 Air Marshal Simhakutty Varthaman
13. IC-25280 Maj Gen Ashok Vasudeo Taskar
14. IC-30052 Maj Gen Brijinder Singh Daulta
15. IC-30076 Maj Gen Sathish Chandra Nair
16. IC-30137 Maj Gen Sukhraj Pal Kochhar
17. IC-30389 Maj Gen Sanjiv Chachra
18. IC-30571 Maj Gen Rajeev Datt
19. IC-33450 Maj Gen Darshan Lal Chowdhary
20. IC-30687 Maj Gen Sanjiv Langer
21. 01660-Y Rear Adm Chander Shekhar Patham
22. 13508 Air Vice Marshal Dinesh Mukundan
23. 14446 Air Vice Marshal Anil Kumar Behl
24. 15327 Air Vice Marshal Ajit Shankarrao Bhonsle
25. 13487 Air Vice Marshal Salem Sunder Ram Gunashekar
26. 15220 Air Cmde Kulwant Singh Gill
Prime Minister Shri Manmohan Singh, Defence Minsiter Shri AK Antony,
Minister of State for Defence Shri MM Pallam Raju, Marshal of the Air
Force Arjun Singh, three Service Chiefs and several other senior civil
and military officials were present on the occasion.
samir / raj/dk/kol/17:41 hrs.
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
Ministry of Environment and Forests
Pollution in Historical Buildings
New Delhi: April 9, 2010
The industrial and pollution causing commercial activities near the
historical buildings have been prohibited in order to reduce
environmental pollution in and around these buildings. The State
Governments have also drawn local area specific programmes for
containing pollution near the historical buildings. The National
Ambient Air Quality Standards have been notified including standards
for sensitive areas, which includes national monuments. Monitoring of
air quality is being undertaken by the Central and State Pollution
Control Boards under their National Ambient Quarterly Monitoring
Programme in the vicinity of monuments to assess and preserve air
quality around such monuments.
The Ministry of Environment and Forests initiated projects for
environmental protection of World Heritage Site of Taj Mahal. In the
first phase, during the IX Five Year Plan, ten projects related to
improvement in electric supply at Agra, Gokul barrage, widening of
Agra by pass, storm water drainage, solid waste management,
improvement of roads, water supply etc. were approved with a total
cost of Rs. 222 crore with 50:50 cost sharing with the Government of
Uttar Pradesh. A Taj Trapezium Zone (Prevention and Control of
Pollution)) Authority has also been constituted in 1999 under the
Chairmanship of Commissioner, Agra to monitor programmes for
protection and improvement of the environment in and around the Taj
Mahal. Several restrictions have also been imposed in the Taj
Trapezium Zone (TTZ) for the establishment of new industries and
expansion of the existing industries within TTZ.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has established monitoring
stations for the monitoring of ambient air quality/metrological
parameters in the vicinity of Ajanta Caves, Ajanta, Taj Mahal, Agra
Fort and Sikandra at Agra, Sravanabelgola, District Hassan and
Charminar, Hyderabad.
kp/dk/kol/17:41 hrs.
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
Ministry of Labour & Employment
189th meeting of the Central Board of Trustees, EPF Chaired by Shri
Mallikarjun Kharge, Union Minister of Labour and Employment held in
New Delhi today
New Delhi: April 9, 2010
The 189th meeting of the Central Board of Trustees, Employees'
Provident Fund (EPF), which was the seventh regular meeting of the
present Board, was convened here today.
Among the 25 agenda items placed before the Board, it considered a
statutory item to recommend rate of interest for the year 2010-2011
for crediting to the subscribers account and was deliberated in
detail. However, the item was deferred.
The Board took two major policy decisions in the meeting. It
recommended enhancement of the cash benefit payable to the family of
EPF subscribers on their death in service from present maximum of Rs.
60,000 to Rs. 1.00 lakh.
It also recommended extension of coverage under the EPF Act to
contract workers employed by various Municipal Committees and
Corporations throughout the country which were not in enjoyment of any
social security benefits so far.
The Board also approved two items relating to the relaxation of
investment guidelines in PSUs/Public Sector Banks, private sector
bonds/securities within the permissible limits so as to augment the
yield on investments.
The Board authorized the Chairman Shri Mallikarjun Kharge to
constitute a Working group having member representatives from both the
workers and the employers to recommend comprehensive amendments to EPF
& MP Act 1952 and schemes framed thereunder along with detailed
justification within the time frame of three months.
The Board paid deep condolences and mark of respect to Late Shri W.R.
Varada Rajan a serving member of the Central Board of Trustees and
employees' representative in the Board who passed away on 11th
February 2010 and appreciated his services to the Board. The Board
also condoled the demise of Shri N. Kannan, a former member of the CBT
and representative of the employers who passed away on 10th March
2010.
The above proceedings took place under the chairmanship of Shri
Mallikarjun Kharge, the Union Minister of Labour and Employment and
Chairman, CBT (EPF).
ysk/dk/kol/17:42 hrs.
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
Ministry of Finance
Fm's Valedictory Address at the 25th Conference of Accountants General
New Delhi: April 9, 2010
The Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee delivered the Valedictory
Address at the 25th Conference of Accountants General-2010, held from
5th to 9th April, here today. The Conference of Accountants General is
held almost every two years to discuss contemporary issues in relation
fulfilling the role and responsibilities of the Comptroller and
Auditor General of India and transforming the audit as an effective
tool for good governance. Following is the text of the speech
delivered by the Finance Minister:
"I am glad to be here on the occasion of the valediction of the 25th
Conference of Accountants General. The institution of the Comptroller
and Auditor General dates back to 1860, and I am happy to be with you
in the 150th year of its foundation. Your organisation has a key role
in the system of Parliamentary financial control and thus in promoting
public financial accountability, probity, and transparency.
The nature of the audits undertaken by your organization has evolved
from an examination against criteria of compliance with rules and
accounting procedures to an appraisal of the performance of
departments and organizations responsible for programme delivery. Your
reports, apart from providing assurance about compliance issues, now
also include recommendation for improving performance and thus add
value by way of improving management. I understand that over the last
five days, you have had extensive discussions on
various themes relating to transforming the Indian Audit and Accounts
Department through consolidation, expansion and innovation in the
fields of auditing and accounting. As Finance Minister, I thought I
would take the opportunity to highlight some key issues that you might
consider focusing your audit priorities on, which would facilitate the
effective and economical use of public funds, a goal in which all of
us present here today are keenly interested.
Firstly, in the context of the report of the 13th Finance Commission,
we would be interested in having your macro and micro-level
assessments, at periodic and timely intervals, of the state of public
finances, both at the Central and State level. Further, while the
Government of India has been allocating and releasing huge volumes of
funds for various developmental programmes (which had also received a
significant boost as part of the stimulus package to counter the
adverse effects of the global economic downturn on the Indian
economy), we would like to have your detailed reports on the quality
of expenditure being incurred at the grassroots level in implementing
these programmes. This is particularly so in view of the vast spread
of your audit jurisdiction, covering not only the Central and State
Governments and their agencies but also technical guidance and
supervision of audit of Panchayati Raj Institutions in most States,
which would enable you to "follow the Rupee" to its ultimate use.
We would also like to have periodic assessments on the implementation
of our flagship Plan programmes in different parts of the country, so
that Government can take mid-course corrective action, as appropriate,
in a timely manner, and optimise the use of public money. In
particular, we would like your assessment of how the country is
progressing towards fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals by
the targeted date, what is the position in individual States, and what
more needs to be done by all of us. I would also request you to
analyse the causal link between these multifarious development
programmes and key performance indicators, so that we have a better
idea of how much value is being derived from each rupee being spent.
For example, how much of the change in Infant Mortality Rate or
Maternal Mortality Rate is directly attributable to the National Rural
Health Mission, or how is Mahatma Gandhi NREGA directly contributing
to the reduction of rural poverty and migration? Your constructive
suggestions would enable us to consider reshaping of programme, as may
be necessary.
The focus of the Eleventh Five Year Plan has been not only on growth
and development, but on inclusive growth, with equity and justice, to
ensure that the fruits of development reach backward and vulnerable
sections of society. I would be particularly interested in your
assessment of how, and to what extent, our key development programmes
are changing the lives of these sections of society. In this regard, I
welcome the CAG's initiative in bringing about synergy between his
audit and social audit to assess the outcome of our expenditure on
social sector schemes.
As you are aware, subsidies on fertiliser, petroleum and food – both
explicit and implicit – impose a high burden on public finances, and
reduce the pool of money available for developmental programmes. I
would like you to focus on how the expenditure on subsidies can be
contained, without adversely affecting the targeted beneficiaries of
such subsidies.
In order to maintain the high growth trajectory which was initiated
during the second half of the Tenth Plan, improvements to the
infrastructural backbone of our country is absolutely essential.
Besides promoting growth in the manufacturing and services sectors,
such infrastructural improvement also directly benefits the common man
through better access to health, education, employment opportunities
etc. I would suggest that you consider infrastructure development as
one of the thrust areas for your audit activities. In addition to
looking at what has happened post-facto, it would help if you could
forecast the challenges for projects at the earliest possible point of
time, and analyse the risk before the event – and not just as lessons
for the future.
On the receipts side, I would like the CAG to analyse the areas where
there are leakages in Government revenue and recommend corrective
measures to increase not only the tax but also the non-tax receipts.
While it is important for all the agencies/Government Departments/PSUs
etc. to comply with the rules and regulations it is equally important
to ensure that apart from compliance, the funds provided in the budget
are used in a manner that fulfils the intent with which these were
sanctioned by the legislature. Therefore, it needs to be ensured that
all the bodies/departments/PSUs etc. and their systems are result
oriented and the management down the line is held accountable for such
results. The CAG's comments on the accounts of the public
entities/Government should highlight shortcomings in this regard
rather than only bringing out instances of non-compliance with rules
and procedures.
It is our endeavour to ensure that the reports of the CAG are placed
in Parliament/State Legislature in a timely manner and are acted upon
expeditiously by the concerned Ministries/Departments. Together, we
need to strengthen the Parliamentary financial control by ensuring
that funds allocated for a specific purpose are spent for that purpose
alone.
I am glad to note that this Conference of Accountants General
deliberated on several issues concerning public money, transparency,
accountability and good governance. Let us work together as partners
towards progress of our country with probity in public life and
ethical values as our guiding principles."
by-127/10/dk/kol/17:42 hrs.
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
Ministry of Finance
CAG's Address at the Valedictory Function of 25th Conference of
Accountants General
New Delhi: April 9, 2010
Following is the address of the Comptroller and Auditor General of
India delivered at the valedictory function of the 25th Conference of
Accountants General-2010, here today:
"It is an honour to have the Honourable Finance Minister, Shri Pranab
Mukherjee in our midst today to share his thoughts at the valediction
of an intensive and purposeful Conference of Accountants General. Sir,
you have been a prominent leader on the national political firmament
shaping the destiny of our country even when my colleagues in the
senior management of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department and I
had just about commenced our careers in the civil services. I have
been particularly fortunate, to work under your leadership, as the
Minister for Commerce in my first tenure in the Government of India.
Your sagacity and vision have always been widely acknowledged. Advice
coming from your wide experience in public life, depth of
understanding of the various facets of governance and your vision will
give us the right contextual perspective to meet the complex
challenges which confront us today. On behalf of all of us and on my
own behalf, Sir, I once again extend to you a hearty welcome.
In keeping with the nature of our responsibilities, we have constantly
striven to make our Institution dynamic and evolve with the changes in
the priorities and patterns of governance. From commenting on issues
relating to compliance by the Executive with the laws, rules and
regulations just after independence, we have now evolved into
providing policymakers with foresight about the future by analysing
key emerging trends, risks and challenges for good governance. We have
reoriented our focus to ultimate outcomes of programmes and not just
programme outputs. To understand contemporary concerns about the
developmental activities undertaken by the Government, we have
increased, and institutionalized, our interaction with public and
civil society for providing inputs for audit prioritisation and
benchmarks for evaluation. We have built synergies with social audit
groups and other stakeholders. We have made our audit reports more
concurrent and reader friendly. A reader now has the option to go
through our full Report or get a bird's eye view of our findings
through the slim booklets and brochures prepared by us. While
reporting audit findings we highlight the good practices and
innovations of the Executive and make constructive recommendations for
mid-course corrective action in respect of deficiencies pointed out.
The Reports are made accessible on our website after they are
presented in Parliament. Apart from the Audit Reports, we are also
bringing out studies and appraisals for the Executive on important
contemporary activities. An example of that is our Study Report on the
preparedness for the Commonwealth Games. We have given our suggestions
regarding changes in the provisions of the proposed Direct Taxes Code
– an important step by the government in simplifying and rationalising
the structure of Direct Taxes. We will shortly be giving our inputs on
the aspects to be factored in while moving to the GST regime. We are
also responding positively to requests from the Executive for advice
at policy formulation stage.
Nevertheless we are beginning to encounter some serious constraints in
our functioning. These need to be addressed by the government with a
sense of urgency if the vision of the framers of our Constitution of
promoting accountability of the Executive to the Parliament through
the independent institution of the CAG is to be honoured in letter as
well as spirit. While highlighting a few important concerns, I seek
your proactive support in addressing them.
Supreme audit institutions, worldwide, have had to redefine their
mandate to be in tune with the changes in the pattern and complexity
in governance. Stakeholders everywhere are not only seeking greater
assurance about the funds being spent in accordance with the
objectives for which these were allocated but also, more importantly,
about the quality of governance. For being able to provide such
assurance, the public auditor is being legally equipped in different
countries with an enforceable mandate. This is the need of the hour in
our country as well. In this context, you may recall the discussion
that I had with you on the need to repeal and replace the existing
CAG's (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) Act, 1971 with a new
Act which directly addresses the constraints faced by us. Encouraged
by your response, and on your being convinced of the need for revision
in the mandate, we have sent a comprehensive draft of a new Act to the
Government in November 2009. We await Government's response on this
proposal.
The demand for greater transparency and accountability in democratic
societies is increasingly becoming a global phenomenon. Since the time
that the architects of the Constitution had designed the spread of
audit by CAG, the pattern of governance has undergone a substantial
change with increasing budgetary devolutions being made through
parallel channels such as PPP, NGO and PRI bodies. Although about 50%
of the plan expenditure is now being purveyed through these channels,
audit of such expenditure is presently not under the automatic legal
mandate of the CAG. I am raising this flag of concern as I am sure the
Honourable Finance Minister would like to have an assurance that the
funds routed in such manner were spent as per the prescribed norms and
for the objective for which the funds were approved by Parliament.
Audit of such expenditure by other auditors like chartered accountants
appointed by these bodies are at best in the nature of internal audit
which falls far short of the independent assurance that Constitution
makers had mandated the CAG to provide to Parliament.
It will be recalled that the XII Finance Commission had recommended
migration to accrual based accounting. While accepting the
recommendation of the Finance Commission in February 2005, the then
Finance Minister declared in Parliament that the office of the
Comptroller & Auditor General of India will be asked to prepare a
detailed roadmap for its implementation. Accordingly the General
Accounting Standards Advisory Board with membership from the Office of
CAG, CGA, CGDA, Ministry of Finance, Railways, Department of Posts,
Telecommunication, RBI, ICAI and some State Governments developed the
roadmap with an operational framework. Seminars and workshops to
create awareness about accrual based accounting were held. Consequent
to their participation in such seminars, 21 State Governments agreed
for the need to migrate to accrual based accounting. Independently,
the Department of Posts has taken steps to migrate to accrual based
accounting. The Ministry of Railways is also contemplating steps for
migration. In a seminar held in 2007 specifically to sensitise the
Members of Parliament to the advantages of accrual accounting, the
then Finance Minister had reiterated the Government's resolve to move
to accrual accounting, if necessary, in a modified form. The roadmap
for migration would involve a great deal of preparation and it could
take 5 to 6 years. As for this department, we have conducted pilot
studies in different departments of States. These have proven very
successful and have demonstrated remarkable benefits of Accrual based
accounting. We now propose to take this initiative to its next level
by running a pilot project covering an entire department in a state.
We have offered advice, and reminded the Government of its commitment,
which was made after in-depth evaluation of the inherent strengths of
accrual accounting vis-à-vis cash basis accounting. I only wish to
reiterate that the steps for migration will take atleast five years of
preparation. If we have to take the path of reform and be global
leaders, we have to do so now.
Internal audit is classically defined as control of all internal
controls and provides assurance to an organisation that its activities
are being conducted in terms of its objectives, rules and regulations
and in a cost-effective manner. In our audit, we have been noticing
innumerable deficiencies in the functioning of the current internal
audit system of the government. Since internal audit is a sine qua non
for good governance, absence of internal audit or its inadequacies
have serious deleterious impact not only on the functioning of an
organisation but also on the external audit by CAG's institution.
Alarmed by this, the then CAG had mentioned the urgent need to address
this issue to the Prime Minister and the then Finance Minister.
Subsequently, the CAG on the advice of the Ministry of Finance, had
set up a Task Force including representative of the Ministry of
Finance, to suggest a road map for removing the deficiencies in the
present system of internal audit. The report of the Task Force for
improving internal audit was sent to the Finance Ministry almost three
years back. We have proposed to prepare yet another Roadmap for
strengthening the Internal Audit process.
Accountability of the Executive to the Parliament and through the
Parliament to the citizens of India, is the lynchpin of our
Constitutional system. Audit by the institution of the CAG is the
arrangement envisaged by the framers of our Constitution for promoting
accountability. In this context, it is quite disconcerting to come
across increased instances of Central Ministries seeking exclusion
from the audit by CAG of new Institutions created or being created.
Regulators like the TRAI, Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board
(PNGRB), etc. have been kept fully or partially out of the audit
mandate of CAG through their respective Acts. There is now a similar
proposal in the 'Brain Gain Policy' of the Ministry of HRD. With
increased deregulation of the different sectors of the economy and the
government modifying its role from an active player to that of a
catalyst, allowing for increased participation of private and
non-Governmental organisations with their activities being regulated
through appropriate regulators, the accountability of the regulatory
bodies themselves becomes a major issue. While the expenditure of
these bodies may not be large but the impact of the decisions taken by
them have extremely large fiduciary or other impact. Excluding these
organisations from CAG's audit weakens Parliamentary oversight on
them.
Another area of serious concern is the denial of timely and complete
access to records to our audit. While the RTI Act provides for
specific penalties for non-production of records/reply in the
stipulated period, there is no mechanism for timely production, or in
the failure to do so, awarding deterrent penalties for non-furnishing
or incomplete production of records to CAG's audit. Even where the
Government has entrusted certain audits to us such as ascertaining the
capital expenditure being incurred by contractors in the development
projects awarded under New Exploration Licensing Policy, it has taken
over 18 months for us to get access to the records of the private
operators. In the telecom sector, we have still not got access to
records of Private Service Provider despite the request for such audit
coming from the Government itself.
Sir, I am indeed grateful to you for having impressed upon the
Financial Advisors of different ministries the need for early response
to observations in Audit Reports. The Will of Parliament has to
prevail and the acceptance by Government to assess the performance of
Departmental Secretaries as Chief Accounting Authorities by also
including the response to ATNs, as one of the parameters in the Result
Framework Document, is a welcome development.
Honourable Finance Minister Sir, these are certain serious concerns
that we thought we could share with you. These are also being echoed
in Parliament and in meetings of the PAC. Media has also been
reflecting similar opinions of informed specialists and institutions.
The process for implementation of appropriate reforms is long drawn.
Unless we take the decisions at an appropriate time, we may find
ourselves in a situation where the lack of early preventive steps
leads to serious deficiencies in management of funds and a totally
inadequate structure for providing assurance to the Public on moneys
spent by Government. I have thus taken liberty to place these
disconcerting issues before you today.
In conclusion, I would like to thank you for giving me a patient
hearing, to flag issues which have serious deleterious impact in
promoting accountability and tracking every rupee that is spent for
public good. I am confident that these issues will get urgent
consideration now and immediate action will be taken for promoting
accountability and, in its wake, good governance. We are indeed
grateful to have you amongst us today."
by-cag/10/dk/kol/17:42 hrs.
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
Ministry of Human Resource Development
India Australia Education Council to Be Constituted
New Delhi: April 9, 2010
A landmark initiative to constitute the India-Australia Education
Council has been agreed on by India and Australia A first of its kind,
this Council will bring together government, academia, business and
industry of both the countries to further bilateral collaboration in
the education sector. Shri Kapil Sibal, Union Minister of Human
Resource Development, and Ms. Julia Gillard, Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, Australia
decided upon this in a meeting held yesterday in Melbourne, Australia,
in recognition of the fact that education is central to sustained,
inclusive and equitable growth.
Two other landmark initiatives agreed by the Ministers include setting
up a Joint Faculty Development Programme as also the organisation of a
bilateral Inter University Convention of Vice Chancellors. These
initiatives, together with the expansion of the existing Education
Exchange Programme to include all levels of education, are aimed at
greater cooperation in the education sector between the two countries.
Three MoUs in the field of education were also signed in the presence
of the two Ministers :
• MoU between Association of Indian Universities and Universities Australia.
• MoU between Central Board of Secondary Education and Australian
Council of Education Research and
• MoU between The Energy Research Institute (TERI) and Deakin University.
The discussion between the two ministers also explored various ways to
further the strategic partnership between India and Australia. Issues
relating to the safety and well being of Indian students in Australia
and other related matters were also discussed. The two Ministers
emphasised that people-to-people contacts, including student
interactions, are at the heart of the bilateral relationship, in
building bridges of friendship and understanding and acting as a
significant resource for future development of the relationship.
Later in the day, Shri Sibal discussed with Premier Brumby, the steps
taken so far by the Victorian government to address the concerns of
international students. In this meeting, Shri Sibal expressed his deep
concern on the continued incidents of assaults on Indian students and
requested Premier Brumby for credible data on the incidents that have
taken place over the past one year as also information relating to the
status of the trials, the charges framed and convictions. He stressed
the importance of setting up an institutional mechanism for sharing
such information. He also requested the Premier of Victoria about
extending transport concession to international students and increase
in accommodation facilities for international students.
mv/hb/dk/kol/17:42 hrs.
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
CS (Main) 2009 Exam Interviews on April 14 as Scheduled
New Delhi: April 9, 2010
The Government have declared 14th April, 2010 as a Closed Holiday on
account of the birthday of Dr. B.R.Ambedkar, for all Central
Government Offices. It is for the information of candidates
short-listed for the Personality Test for Civil Services (Main)
Examination, 2009 that there is no change in the scheduled programme
for the Personality Test. The Personality Test shall be conducted by
the UPSC on 14th April, 2010 as per the schedule, which has already
been sent individually.
mv/hb/dk/kol/17:42 hrs.
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
Presidents Secretariat
Prime Minister Calls on President
New Delhi: April 9, 2010
The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh called on the President Smt.
Pratibha Devisingh Patil at Rashtrapati Bhavan today. The meeting
lasted for about an hour. The two leaders discussed about the upcoming
Session of Parliament and the forthcoming visit of the Prime Minister
to Washington for Nuclear Security Summit and Brazil for IBSA & BRIC
Summit. They also discussed about matters relating to rise in prices,
internal security, Indo-Pak issues and other matters of national and
international importance.
sh/lv/dk/kol/17:43 hrs.
From: Press Information Bureau Ministry of I&B <pib.kolkata@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Apr 9, 2010 at 5:56 PM
Subject: Releases.........pt4
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises
Public Sector Day to be Observed Tomorrow
New Delhi: April 9, 2010
Department of Public Enterprises in association with Standing
Conference of Public Enterprises and public sector fraternity will
observe the 'Public Sector Day' tomorrow for the first time. The focus
of the Public Sector Day will be to recapture the glorious history,
contributions and achievements as well as the current spirit with
which the economic revolution is being taken forward by the public
sector. H.E. President of India will inaugurate the landmark historic
initiative.
Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh, Hon'ble Minister of Heavy Industries and
Public Enterprises, Dy. Chairman, Planning Commission, top echelons of
India's economic policy makers and top executives of PSEs will grace
the occasion.
The President will present SCOPE Meritorious Awards in Specialized
Fields and address the participants while the Minister of HI&PE will
release a publication of the SCOPE Study on "The Emerging Public
Sector New Vision of a National Treasure" and will present the first
copy of the book to the President. The main function will be followed
by Technical Sessions on Relevance of State Owned Enterprises in the
Global Scenario, Emerging Trends in Coal, Oil and Gas Sectors; Power
and Infrastructure Sectors; and CSR and Governance Issues in PSEs.
All Public Sector Enterprises will also observe the Public Sector Day
in their head offices, regional offices and other units in a befitting
manner. In this regard, Debates, Quiz Programmes, Essay Competitions
on the public sector's contribution, management and as wealth creators
would also be organized so as o create greater awareness among
employees and other concerned. The holding of the Public Sector Day
will be a significant landmark and will, therefore, be a matter of
considerable national importance as well as of great interest to the
general public at large.
As a part of public sector Day celebrations two panel discussions took
place here today. The panelists, discussed in detail on two themes
namely 'Public Sector in the Service of the Nation' and 'Reforming
Financially Stressed PSEs'. Secretary DPE, Chairman, BRPSE and CMDs of
various PSEs including Navratna and Miniratna companies participated
in the discussion. Some CMDs of turnaround companies shared their
experiences as to how they could turn loss-making PSEs into profit
earning companies.
The Speakers were of the view that the most important factor which can
optimize the output of an undertaking was positive mindset and
people-centric approach. The factors like openness to new ideas,
passion for growth, team spirit, inducing sense of belongingness and
self-confidence have also important role to play in enhancing the
output of an organization.
gg/bs/dk/kol/17:40 hrs.
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
Ministry of Coal
Coal Washeries to Increase the Efficiency of Indian Coal
New Delhi: April 9, 2010
All efforts are being made to address the concern of climate and to
reduce the emissions from coal. More than two-dozen coal washeries
will be set up to improve the efficiency of Indian coal. The
Government is also trying to get improved and clean coal technology
for this purpose. This was stated by Shri Sriprakash Jaiswal while
meeting with Ms.Connie Hedegaard, Commissioner for Climate Action
European Union here today. Ms.Hedegaard called on the Minister
alongwith a delegation of European Union to brief about the
initiatives being taken to check the climate degradation.
The Minister said that in future all the power plants will have super
critical technology to exploit maximum energy from the coal with
better combustion. Efforts are also being made to improve the
characteristics of Indian coal besides improve the efficiency of coal
based plants. He said that the Government is very much concern about
the environmental issues and coal mining is being modernize to
minimize pollution. The Minister also apprised Ms.Hedegaard of
highlights of Integrated Energy Policy being formulated by the
Government.
ncj/sr/dk/kol/17:40 hrs.
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
Ministry of Defence
235th Army Ordnance Corps Day
New Delhi: April 9, 2010
Army Ordnance Corps is responsible for providing complete military
hardware to the fighting troops except ration and fuel. The Corps has
an illustrious historic past spanning more than two and a quarter
centuries with outstanding achievements, particularly in the field of
inventory management. Inherent source of pride for AOC is the
professional manner in which men and women of the Corps, both
civilians and combatants have proved their mettle both during war and
peace. Functions of AOC involve Provisioning, Procurement, Receipt,
Warehousing, Accounting and Issue of an inventory of over 4 lakh
items. As materials manager of the Indian Army, the AOC is perhaps one
of the largest logistic organisations in the world, in terms of size,
value and diversity of inventory, customer base and the geographical
extent of the supply chain.
On 08 April 2010 on the occasion of 235th anniversary, the Corps
expresses deep gratitude to all the veterans whose contributions will
always be cherished. The Corps salutes the martyrs of the Battle of
Kangla Tongbi where a small band of AOC personnel defended the Ord
Depot and fought the might of Japanese Army in the Imphal Sector
during the Second World War. The professional skills imbibed alongwith
soldierly attributes by the AOC personnel have shown discernible
results and acknowledged by the field commanders in all past and post
independence wars and operations.
In recognition of their contribution to the nation the Corps personnel
have been awarded one Mahavir Chakra, three Vir Chakras, one Kirti
Chakra, six Shaurya Chakras, 21 PVSMs, 36 AVSMs, 85 Sena Medlas, 79
VSMs, two Raksha Padaks, 32 Mention in Despatches, five unit citations
and 950 commendation cards. In addition, the Corps personnel have also
excelled in the field of adventure and sports. AOC has the distinction
of having 3 Arjuna Awardees. The sportsmen of the Corps represented
the country in various international competitions including Olympics.
Today with advancement in Warfare, the Corps is busy automating its
complete inventory, enhancing user satisfaction, providing
transparency and supplying the best value added products to the
soldier in battlefield.
s om singh/dk/kol/17:41 hrs.
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
Ministry of Defence
President Confers Gallantry and Distinguished Service Awards
New Delhi: April 9, 2010
President, Smt Pratibha Devisingh Patil conferred two Kirti Chakras
and twenty five Shaurya Chakras to Armed Forces Personnel for
displaying conspicuous gallantry, indomitable courage and extreme
devotion to duty at a solemn ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi
today.
The President also conferred fifteen Param Vishisht Seva Medals, two
Uttam Yudh Seva Medals, one Bar to Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and twenty
six Ati Vishisht Seva Medals to senior officers of the Armed Forces
for distinguished service of an exceptional order. The following is
the list of awardees:-
GALLANTRY AWARDS
KIRTI CHAKRA
1. IC-59630 Maj Amit Oscar Fernandes
2. IC-61390 Maj Suresh Suri (Posthumous)
SHAURYA CHAKRA
1. GS-173875N Operator Excavating Machinery Grade – II Satish Kumar
2. 26696 Sqn Ldr Harkirat Singh
3. IC-64795 Maj Ankur Garg
4. IC-62248 Maj Saurabh Dutt Kholia
5. 15330627 Lance Naik Sujith Babu V (Posthumous)
6. IC-57104 Maj Dinesh Singh Parmar
7. IC-63089 Maj Subramaniam Anand
8. 25871 Sqn Ldr Tarun Kumar Chaudhry
9. 776951 Sgt Mustafa Ali (Posthumous)
10. GS-171792-K Operator Excavating Machinery Pritam Chand (Posthumous)
11. GS-173772-P Driver Mechanical Transport Grade – II Piar Chand (Posthumous)
12. 9107449 Rifleman Mohd Abdul Amieen Bhat (Posthumous)
13. IC-70145 Lt Satbir Singh (Posthumous)
14. 13625790 Naik Manoj Singh (Posthumous)
15. 2795178 Sepoy Hanmant Mahadeo Yevale
16. 13622147 Hav Vipan Thakur (Posthumous)
17. SS-39651 Maj Ajay Singh
18. JC-74651 Naib Subedar Ganesh Nath
19. IC-61038 Maj Harmeet Singh Samra
20. G/114735 Hav Thangjalet (Posthumous)
21. IC-59470 Maj Manoj Aruparayil Pothen
22. 4478544 Lance Naik Davinder Singh
23. IC-63580 Capt Mudassar Iqbal
24. IC-69343 Capt Anoop Pandey
25. 120351-A POWTR CD III Chandra Sekhar (Posthumous)
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS
PARAM VISHISHT SEVA MEDAL
1. IC-24198 Lt Gen Chanroth Kunnumal Suchindra Sabu
2. 01248-K Vice Admiral Sanjeev Bhasin
3. 12939 Air Marshal Venkatraman Ramamurthy Iyer
4. 13472 Air Marshal Pramod Vasant Athawale
5. MR-03364 Lt Gen Naresh Kumar Parmar
6. IC-24219 Lt Gen Ajay Kumar Singh Chandele
7. IC-25053 Lt Gen Dalip Bhardwaj
8. IC-25064 Lt Gen Shreedharan Shyam Kumar
9. IC-25126 Lt Gen Rajinder Singh Sujlana
10. IC-24706 Lt Gen Kammula Ramachandra Rao
11. IC-25213 Lt Gen Mukesh Sabharwal
12. IC-25469 Lt Gen Karan Singh Yadava
13. IC-23689 Lt Gen (Retd) Narinder Singh Brar
14. IC-29915 Lt Gen (Retd) Vinod Chopra
15. 12833 Air Marshal (Retd) Keshava Murthy Rama Sundara
UTTAM YUDH SEVA MEDAL
1. IC-25538 Lt Gen Rabindran Krishna Swamy
2. IC-25816 Lt Gen Bikram Singh
BAR TO ATI VISHISHT SEVA MEDAL
3. IC-25457 Lt Gen Vijay Kumar Ahluwalia
ATI VISHISHT SEVA MEDAL
1. IC-24654 Lt Gen Tejinder Singh
2. IC-27146 Lt Gen Uma Shankar Prasad Sinha
3. IC-25141 Lt Gen Deepak Raj
4. IC-25442 Lt Gen Swatantarta Nand Handa
5. IC-25056 Lt Gen Inderjit Singh
6. IC-25815 Lt Gen Gurdeep Singh
7. IC-27325 Lt Gen Rajesh Kochhar
8. V-00330 Lt Gen Jai Krishan Srivastava
9. 02373-T Vice Admiral Paras Nath
10. 01701-R Vice Admiral Pradip Kumar Chatterjee
11. 01773-D Vice Admiral Anurag Gopalan Thapliyal
12. 13606 Air Marshal Simhakutty Varthaman
13. IC-25280 Maj Gen Ashok Vasudeo Taskar
14. IC-30052 Maj Gen Brijinder Singh Daulta
15. IC-30076 Maj Gen Sathish Chandra Nair
16. IC-30137 Maj Gen Sukhraj Pal Kochhar
17. IC-30389 Maj Gen Sanjiv Chachra
18. IC-30571 Maj Gen Rajeev Datt
19. IC-33450 Maj Gen Darshan Lal Chowdhary
20. IC-30687 Maj Gen Sanjiv Langer
21. 01660-Y Rear Adm Chander Shekhar Patham
22. 13508 Air Vice Marshal Dinesh Mukundan
23. 14446 Air Vice Marshal Anil Kumar Behl
24. 15327 Air Vice Marshal Ajit Shankarrao Bhonsle
25. 13487 Air Vice Marshal Salem Sunder Ram Gunashekar
26. 15220 Air Cmde Kulwant Singh Gill
Prime Minister Shri Manmohan Singh, Defence Minsiter Shri AK Antony,
Minister of State for Defence Shri MM Pallam Raju, Marshal of the Air
Force Arjun Singh, three Service Chiefs and several other senior civil
and military officials were present on the occasion.
samir / raj/dk/kol/17:41 hrs.
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
Ministry of Environment and Forests
Pollution in Historical Buildings
New Delhi: April 9, 2010
The industrial and pollution causing commercial activities near the
historical buildings have been prohibited in order to reduce
environmental pollution in and around these buildings. The State
Governments have also drawn local area specific programmes for
containing pollution near the historical buildings. The National
Ambient Air Quality Standards have been notified including standards
for sensitive areas, which includes national monuments. Monitoring of
air quality is being undertaken by the Central and State Pollution
Control Boards under their National Ambient Quarterly Monitoring
Programme in the vicinity of monuments to assess and preserve air
quality around such monuments.
The Ministry of Environment and Forests initiated projects for
environmental protection of World Heritage Site of Taj Mahal. In the
first phase, during the IX Five Year Plan, ten projects related to
improvement in electric supply at Agra, Gokul barrage, widening of
Agra by pass, storm water drainage, solid waste management,
improvement of roads, water supply etc. were approved with a total
cost of Rs. 222 crore with 50:50 cost sharing with the Government of
Uttar Pradesh. A Taj Trapezium Zone (Prevention and Control of
Pollution)) Authority has also been constituted in 1999 under the
Chairmanship of Commissioner, Agra to monitor programmes for
protection and improvement of the environment in and around the Taj
Mahal. Several restrictions have also been imposed in the Taj
Trapezium Zone (TTZ) for the establishment of new industries and
expansion of the existing industries within TTZ.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has established monitoring
stations for the monitoring of ambient air quality/metrological
parameters in the vicinity of Ajanta Caves, Ajanta, Taj Mahal, Agra
Fort and Sikandra at Agra, Sravanabelgola, District Hassan and
Charminar, Hyderabad.
kp/dk/kol/17:41 hrs.
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
Ministry of Labour & Employment
189th meeting of the Central Board of Trustees, EPF Chaired by Shri
Mallikarjun Kharge, Union Minister of Labour and Employment held in
New Delhi today
New Delhi: April 9, 2010
The 189th meeting of the Central Board of Trustees, Employees'
Provident Fund (EPF), which was the seventh regular meeting of the
present Board, was convened here today.
Among the 25 agenda items placed before the Board, it considered a
statutory item to recommend rate of interest for the year 2010-2011
for crediting to the subscribers account and was deliberated in
detail. However, the item was deferred.
The Board took two major policy decisions in the meeting. It
recommended enhancement of the cash benefit payable to the family of
EPF subscribers on their death in service from present maximum of Rs.
60,000 to Rs. 1.00 lakh.
It also recommended extension of coverage under the EPF Act to
contract workers employed by various Municipal Committees and
Corporations throughout the country which were not in enjoyment of any
social security benefits so far.
The Board also approved two items relating to the relaxation of
investment guidelines in PSUs/Public Sector Banks, private sector
bonds/securities within the permissible limits so as to augment the
yield on investments.
The Board authorized the Chairman Shri Mallikarjun Kharge to
constitute a Working group having member representatives from both the
workers and the employers to recommend comprehensive amendments to EPF
& MP Act 1952 and schemes framed thereunder along with detailed
justification within the time frame of three months.
The Board paid deep condolences and mark of respect to Late Shri W.R.
Varada Rajan a serving member of the Central Board of Trustees and
employees' representative in the Board who passed away on 11th
February 2010 and appreciated his services to the Board. The Board
also condoled the demise of Shri N. Kannan, a former member of the CBT
and representative of the employers who passed away on 10th March
2010.
The above proceedings took place under the chairmanship of Shri
Mallikarjun Kharge, the Union Minister of Labour and Employment and
Chairman, CBT (EPF).
ysk/dk/kol/17:42 hrs.
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
Ministry of Finance
Fm's Valedictory Address at the 25th Conference of Accountants General
New Delhi: April 9, 2010
The Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee delivered the Valedictory
Address at the 25th Conference of Accountants General-2010, held from
5th to 9th April, here today. The Conference of Accountants General is
held almost every two years to discuss contemporary issues in relation
fulfilling the role and responsibilities of the Comptroller and
Auditor General of India and transforming the audit as an effective
tool for good governance. Following is the text of the speech
delivered by the Finance Minister:
"I am glad to be here on the occasion of the valediction of the 25th
Conference of Accountants General. The institution of the Comptroller
and Auditor General dates back to 1860, and I am happy to be with you
in the 150th year of its foundation. Your organisation has a key role
in the system of Parliamentary financial control and thus in promoting
public financial accountability, probity, and transparency.
The nature of the audits undertaken by your organization has evolved
from an examination against criteria of compliance with rules and
accounting procedures to an appraisal of the performance of
departments and organizations responsible for programme delivery. Your
reports, apart from providing assurance about compliance issues, now
also include recommendation for improving performance and thus add
value by way of improving management. I understand that over the last
five days, you have had extensive discussions on
various themes relating to transforming the Indian Audit and Accounts
Department through consolidation, expansion and innovation in the
fields of auditing and accounting. As Finance Minister, I thought I
would take the opportunity to highlight some key issues that you might
consider focusing your audit priorities on, which would facilitate the
effective and economical use of public funds, a goal in which all of
us present here today are keenly interested.
Firstly, in the context of the report of the 13th Finance Commission,
we would be interested in having your macro and micro-level
assessments, at periodic and timely intervals, of the state of public
finances, both at the Central and State level. Further, while the
Government of India has been allocating and releasing huge volumes of
funds for various developmental programmes (which had also received a
significant boost as part of the stimulus package to counter the
adverse effects of the global economic downturn on the Indian
economy), we would like to have your detailed reports on the quality
of expenditure being incurred at the grassroots level in implementing
these programmes. This is particularly so in view of the vast spread
of your audit jurisdiction, covering not only the Central and State
Governments and their agencies but also technical guidance and
supervision of audit of Panchayati Raj Institutions in most States,
which would enable you to "follow the Rupee" to its ultimate use.
We would also like to have periodic assessments on the implementation
of our flagship Plan programmes in different parts of the country, so
that Government can take mid-course corrective action, as appropriate,
in a timely manner, and optimise the use of public money. In
particular, we would like your assessment of how the country is
progressing towards fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals by
the targeted date, what is the position in individual States, and what
more needs to be done by all of us. I would also request you to
analyse the causal link between these multifarious development
programmes and key performance indicators, so that we have a better
idea of how much value is being derived from each rupee being spent.
For example, how much of the change in Infant Mortality Rate or
Maternal Mortality Rate is directly attributable to the National Rural
Health Mission, or how is Mahatma Gandhi NREGA directly contributing
to the reduction of rural poverty and migration? Your constructive
suggestions would enable us to consider reshaping of programme, as may
be necessary.
The focus of the Eleventh Five Year Plan has been not only on growth
and development, but on inclusive growth, with equity and justice, to
ensure that the fruits of development reach backward and vulnerable
sections of society. I would be particularly interested in your
assessment of how, and to what extent, our key development programmes
are changing the lives of these sections of society. In this regard, I
welcome the CAG's initiative in bringing about synergy between his
audit and social audit to assess the outcome of our expenditure on
social sector schemes.
As you are aware, subsidies on fertiliser, petroleum and food – both
explicit and implicit – impose a high burden on public finances, and
reduce the pool of money available for developmental programmes. I
would like you to focus on how the expenditure on subsidies can be
contained, without adversely affecting the targeted beneficiaries of
such subsidies.
In order to maintain the high growth trajectory which was initiated
during the second half of the Tenth Plan, improvements to the
infrastructural backbone of our country is absolutely essential.
Besides promoting growth in the manufacturing and services sectors,
such infrastructural improvement also directly benefits the common man
through better access to health, education, employment opportunities
etc. I would suggest that you consider infrastructure development as
one of the thrust areas for your audit activities. In addition to
looking at what has happened post-facto, it would help if you could
forecast the challenges for projects at the earliest possible point of
time, and analyse the risk before the event – and not just as lessons
for the future.
On the receipts side, I would like the CAG to analyse the areas where
there are leakages in Government revenue and recommend corrective
measures to increase not only the tax but also the non-tax receipts.
While it is important for all the agencies/Government Departments/PSUs
etc. to comply with the rules and regulations it is equally important
to ensure that apart from compliance, the funds provided in the budget
are used in a manner that fulfils the intent with which these were
sanctioned by the legislature. Therefore, it needs to be ensured that
all the bodies/departments/PSUs etc. and their systems are result
oriented and the management down the line is held accountable for such
results. The CAG's comments on the accounts of the public
entities/Government should highlight shortcomings in this regard
rather than only bringing out instances of non-compliance with rules
and procedures.
It is our endeavour to ensure that the reports of the CAG are placed
in Parliament/State Legislature in a timely manner and are acted upon
expeditiously by the concerned Ministries/Departments. Together, we
need to strengthen the Parliamentary financial control by ensuring
that funds allocated for a specific purpose are spent for that purpose
alone.
I am glad to note that this Conference of Accountants General
deliberated on several issues concerning public money, transparency,
accountability and good governance. Let us work together as partners
towards progress of our country with probity in public life and
ethical values as our guiding principles."
by-127/10/dk/kol/17:42 hrs.
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
Ministry of Finance
CAG's Address at the Valedictory Function of 25th Conference of
Accountants General
New Delhi: April 9, 2010
Following is the address of the Comptroller and Auditor General of
India delivered at the valedictory function of the 25th Conference of
Accountants General-2010, here today:
"It is an honour to have the Honourable Finance Minister, Shri Pranab
Mukherjee in our midst today to share his thoughts at the valediction
of an intensive and purposeful Conference of Accountants General. Sir,
you have been a prominent leader on the national political firmament
shaping the destiny of our country even when my colleagues in the
senior management of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department and I
had just about commenced our careers in the civil services. I have
been particularly fortunate, to work under your leadership, as the
Minister for Commerce in my first tenure in the Government of India.
Your sagacity and vision have always been widely acknowledged. Advice
coming from your wide experience in public life, depth of
understanding of the various facets of governance and your vision will
give us the right contextual perspective to meet the complex
challenges which confront us today. On behalf of all of us and on my
own behalf, Sir, I once again extend to you a hearty welcome.
In keeping with the nature of our responsibilities, we have constantly
striven to make our Institution dynamic and evolve with the changes in
the priorities and patterns of governance. From commenting on issues
relating to compliance by the Executive with the laws, rules and
regulations just after independence, we have now evolved into
providing policymakers with foresight about the future by analysing
key emerging trends, risks and challenges for good governance. We have
reoriented our focus to ultimate outcomes of programmes and not just
programme outputs. To understand contemporary concerns about the
developmental activities undertaken by the Government, we have
increased, and institutionalized, our interaction with public and
civil society for providing inputs for audit prioritisation and
benchmarks for evaluation. We have built synergies with social audit
groups and other stakeholders. We have made our audit reports more
concurrent and reader friendly. A reader now has the option to go
through our full Report or get a bird's eye view of our findings
through the slim booklets and brochures prepared by us. While
reporting audit findings we highlight the good practices and
innovations of the Executive and make constructive recommendations for
mid-course corrective action in respect of deficiencies pointed out.
The Reports are made accessible on our website after they are
presented in Parliament. Apart from the Audit Reports, we are also
bringing out studies and appraisals for the Executive on important
contemporary activities. An example of that is our Study Report on the
preparedness for the Commonwealth Games. We have given our suggestions
regarding changes in the provisions of the proposed Direct Taxes Code
– an important step by the government in simplifying and rationalising
the structure of Direct Taxes. We will shortly be giving our inputs on
the aspects to be factored in while moving to the GST regime. We are
also responding positively to requests from the Executive for advice
at policy formulation stage.
Nevertheless we are beginning to encounter some serious constraints in
our functioning. These need to be addressed by the government with a
sense of urgency if the vision of the framers of our Constitution of
promoting accountability of the Executive to the Parliament through
the independent institution of the CAG is to be honoured in letter as
well as spirit. While highlighting a few important concerns, I seek
your proactive support in addressing them.
Supreme audit institutions, worldwide, have had to redefine their
mandate to be in tune with the changes in the pattern and complexity
in governance. Stakeholders everywhere are not only seeking greater
assurance about the funds being spent in accordance with the
objectives for which these were allocated but also, more importantly,
about the quality of governance. For being able to provide such
assurance, the public auditor is being legally equipped in different
countries with an enforceable mandate. This is the need of the hour in
our country as well. In this context, you may recall the discussion
that I had with you on the need to repeal and replace the existing
CAG's (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) Act, 1971 with a new
Act which directly addresses the constraints faced by us. Encouraged
by your response, and on your being convinced of the need for revision
in the mandate, we have sent a comprehensive draft of a new Act to the
Government in November 2009. We await Government's response on this
proposal.
The demand for greater transparency and accountability in democratic
societies is increasingly becoming a global phenomenon. Since the time
that the architects of the Constitution had designed the spread of
audit by CAG, the pattern of governance has undergone a substantial
change with increasing budgetary devolutions being made through
parallel channels such as PPP, NGO and PRI bodies. Although about 50%
of the plan expenditure is now being purveyed through these channels,
audit of such expenditure is presently not under the automatic legal
mandate of the CAG. I am raising this flag of concern as I am sure the
Honourable Finance Minister would like to have an assurance that the
funds routed in such manner were spent as per the prescribed norms and
for the objective for which the funds were approved by Parliament.
Audit of such expenditure by other auditors like chartered accountants
appointed by these bodies are at best in the nature of internal audit
which falls far short of the independent assurance that Constitution
makers had mandated the CAG to provide to Parliament.
It will be recalled that the XII Finance Commission had recommended
migration to accrual based accounting. While accepting the
recommendation of the Finance Commission in February 2005, the then
Finance Minister declared in Parliament that the office of the
Comptroller & Auditor General of India will be asked to prepare a
detailed roadmap for its implementation. Accordingly the General
Accounting Standards Advisory Board with membership from the Office of
CAG, CGA, CGDA, Ministry of Finance, Railways, Department of Posts,
Telecommunication, RBI, ICAI and some State Governments developed the
roadmap with an operational framework. Seminars and workshops to
create awareness about accrual based accounting were held. Consequent
to their participation in such seminars, 21 State Governments agreed
for the need to migrate to accrual based accounting. Independently,
the Department of Posts has taken steps to migrate to accrual based
accounting. The Ministry of Railways is also contemplating steps for
migration. In a seminar held in 2007 specifically to sensitise the
Members of Parliament to the advantages of accrual accounting, the
then Finance Minister had reiterated the Government's resolve to move
to accrual accounting, if necessary, in a modified form. The roadmap
for migration would involve a great deal of preparation and it could
take 5 to 6 years. As for this department, we have conducted pilot
studies in different departments of States. These have proven very
successful and have demonstrated remarkable benefits of Accrual based
accounting. We now propose to take this initiative to its next level
by running a pilot project covering an entire department in a state.
We have offered advice, and reminded the Government of its commitment,
which was made after in-depth evaluation of the inherent strengths of
accrual accounting vis-à-vis cash basis accounting. I only wish to
reiterate that the steps for migration will take atleast five years of
preparation. If we have to take the path of reform and be global
leaders, we have to do so now.
Internal audit is classically defined as control of all internal
controls and provides assurance to an organisation that its activities
are being conducted in terms of its objectives, rules and regulations
and in a cost-effective manner. In our audit, we have been noticing
innumerable deficiencies in the functioning of the current internal
audit system of the government. Since internal audit is a sine qua non
for good governance, absence of internal audit or its inadequacies
have serious deleterious impact not only on the functioning of an
organisation but also on the external audit by CAG's institution.
Alarmed by this, the then CAG had mentioned the urgent need to address
this issue to the Prime Minister and the then Finance Minister.
Subsequently, the CAG on the advice of the Ministry of Finance, had
set up a Task Force including representative of the Ministry of
Finance, to suggest a road map for removing the deficiencies in the
present system of internal audit. The report of the Task Force for
improving internal audit was sent to the Finance Ministry almost three
years back. We have proposed to prepare yet another Roadmap for
strengthening the Internal Audit process.
Accountability of the Executive to the Parliament and through the
Parliament to the citizens of India, is the lynchpin of our
Constitutional system. Audit by the institution of the CAG is the
arrangement envisaged by the framers of our Constitution for promoting
accountability. In this context, it is quite disconcerting to come
across increased instances of Central Ministries seeking exclusion
from the audit by CAG of new Institutions created or being created.
Regulators like the TRAI, Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board
(PNGRB), etc. have been kept fully or partially out of the audit
mandate of CAG through their respective Acts. There is now a similar
proposal in the 'Brain Gain Policy' of the Ministry of HRD. With
increased deregulation of the different sectors of the economy and the
government modifying its role from an active player to that of a
catalyst, allowing for increased participation of private and
non-Governmental organisations with their activities being regulated
through appropriate regulators, the accountability of the regulatory
bodies themselves becomes a major issue. While the expenditure of
these bodies may not be large but the impact of the decisions taken by
them have extremely large fiduciary or other impact. Excluding these
organisations from CAG's audit weakens Parliamentary oversight on
them.
Another area of serious concern is the denial of timely and complete
access to records to our audit. While the RTI Act provides for
specific penalties for non-production of records/reply in the
stipulated period, there is no mechanism for timely production, or in
the failure to do so, awarding deterrent penalties for non-furnishing
or incomplete production of records to CAG's audit. Even where the
Government has entrusted certain audits to us such as ascertaining the
capital expenditure being incurred by contractors in the development
projects awarded under New Exploration Licensing Policy, it has taken
over 18 months for us to get access to the records of the private
operators. In the telecom sector, we have still not got access to
records of Private Service Provider despite the request for such audit
coming from the Government itself.
Sir, I am indeed grateful to you for having impressed upon the
Financial Advisors of different ministries the need for early response
to observations in Audit Reports. The Will of Parliament has to
prevail and the acceptance by Government to assess the performance of
Departmental Secretaries as Chief Accounting Authorities by also
including the response to ATNs, as one of the parameters in the Result
Framework Document, is a welcome development.
Honourable Finance Minister Sir, these are certain serious concerns
that we thought we could share with you. These are also being echoed
in Parliament and in meetings of the PAC. Media has also been
reflecting similar opinions of informed specialists and institutions.
The process for implementation of appropriate reforms is long drawn.
Unless we take the decisions at an appropriate time, we may find
ourselves in a situation where the lack of early preventive steps
leads to serious deficiencies in management of funds and a totally
inadequate structure for providing assurance to the Public on moneys
spent by Government. I have thus taken liberty to place these
disconcerting issues before you today.
In conclusion, I would like to thank you for giving me a patient
hearing, to flag issues which have serious deleterious impact in
promoting accountability and tracking every rupee that is spent for
public good. I am confident that these issues will get urgent
consideration now and immediate action will be taken for promoting
accountability and, in its wake, good governance. We are indeed
grateful to have you amongst us today."
by-cag/10/dk/kol/17:42 hrs.
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
Ministry of Human Resource Development
India Australia Education Council to Be Constituted
New Delhi: April 9, 2010
A landmark initiative to constitute the India-Australia Education
Council has been agreed on by India and Australia A first of its kind,
this Council will bring together government, academia, business and
industry of both the countries to further bilateral collaboration in
the education sector. Shri Kapil Sibal, Union Minister of Human
Resource Development, and Ms. Julia Gillard, Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, Australia
decided upon this in a meeting held yesterday in Melbourne, Australia,
in recognition of the fact that education is central to sustained,
inclusive and equitable growth.
Two other landmark initiatives agreed by the Ministers include setting
up a Joint Faculty Development Programme as also the organisation of a
bilateral Inter University Convention of Vice Chancellors. These
initiatives, together with the expansion of the existing Education
Exchange Programme to include all levels of education, are aimed at
greater cooperation in the education sector between the two countries.
Three MoUs in the field of education were also signed in the presence
of the two Ministers :
• MoU between Association of Indian Universities and Universities Australia.
• MoU between Central Board of Secondary Education and Australian
Council of Education Research and
• MoU between The Energy Research Institute (TERI) and Deakin University.
The discussion between the two ministers also explored various ways to
further the strategic partnership between India and Australia. Issues
relating to the safety and well being of Indian students in Australia
and other related matters were also discussed. The two Ministers
emphasised that people-to-people contacts, including student
interactions, are at the heart of the bilateral relationship, in
building bridges of friendship and understanding and acting as a
significant resource for future development of the relationship.
Later in the day, Shri Sibal discussed with Premier Brumby, the steps
taken so far by the Victorian government to address the concerns of
international students. In this meeting, Shri Sibal expressed his deep
concern on the continued incidents of assaults on Indian students and
requested Premier Brumby for credible data on the incidents that have
taken place over the past one year as also information relating to the
status of the trials, the charges framed and convictions. He stressed
the importance of setting up an institutional mechanism for sharing
such information. He also requested the Premier of Victoria about
extending transport concession to international students and increase
in accommodation facilities for international students.
mv/hb/dk/kol/17:42 hrs.
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
CS (Main) 2009 Exam Interviews on April 14 as Scheduled
New Delhi: April 9, 2010
The Government have declared 14th April, 2010 as a Closed Holiday on
account of the birthday of Dr. B.R.Ambedkar, for all Central
Government Offices. It is for the information of candidates
short-listed for the Personality Test for Civil Services (Main)
Examination, 2009 that there is no change in the scheduled programme
for the Personality Test. The Personality Test shall be conducted by
the UPSC on 14th April, 2010 as per the schedule, which has already
been sent individually.
mv/hb/dk/kol/17:42 hrs.
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
Presidents Secretariat
Prime Minister Calls on President
New Delhi: April 9, 2010
The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh called on the President Smt.
Pratibha Devisingh Patil at Rashtrapati Bhavan today. The meeting
lasted for about an hour. The two leaders discussed about the upcoming
Session of Parliament and the forthcoming visit of the Prime Minister
to Washington for Nuclear Security Summit and Brazil for IBSA & BRIC
Summit. They also discussed about matters relating to rise in prices,
internal security, Indo-Pak issues and other matters of national and
international importance.
sh/lv/dk/kol/17:43 hrs.
--
Palash Biswas
Pl Read:
http://nandigramunited-banga.blogspot.com/
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