NEW DELHI: An Expert Advisory Group constituted by the rural development ministry to ensure the effective implementation of the three of the ministry’s welfare scheme has recommended the framing of a five-year audit plan.
“Given the large number of implementing units and locations across all states, it will be very difficult to ensure a comprehensive coverage within a year. Five-year audit plan should therefore form the basis for the preparation of annual internal audit plans,” the EAG report said.
The six-member panel also recommended the earmarking of funds for internal audits and the opening of a separate budgetary head for incurring expenditure on the internal audit.
“We wanted the panel to examine the effectiveness of the schemes of the ministry. We will take their recommendations seriously and will bring them into force as soon as possible. We wanted feedback from experts so we can improve the implementation of the scheme,” a ministry official said.The panel also suggested the use of technology for data collection and analysis.