The CAG's mandate is notmerely to prepare reports but it has a larger responsibilityof holding the government financially accountable to thelegislature, Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai todaysaid.
He stressed that audit also played an important role inensuring greater probity, transparency and accountability ingovernance and warned that desired results of reforms cannotbe attained if these do not improve.
Rai was speaking on 'Accountability and Transparency inGovernance' while delivering former Kerala Chief Minister, CAchutha Menon's birth centenary memorial lecture here today. He said that the CAG's mandate was not merely to preparereports and place them in the legislature.
The constitutional mandate, Rai said, placed on CAG alarger responsibility like holding the government financiallyaccountable to the legislature as "it is totally independentof the Government' as enshrined in the Constitution.
The CAG has been accused of breaching its mandate by theCongress after its reports on spectrum allocation and coalblocks allocation sparked political storm.
"If the general levels of probity, transparency andaccountability do not improve in our governance set up, thedesired results of reforms cannot be attained," Rai said.
He said there have been instances of lack of probity,transparency and accountability at various levels ofgovernance, including corporate governance.
To sensitise public opinion, CAG has taken steps todisseminate audit findings to citizens groups,non-governmental bodies, educational institutions and themedia, Rai said, adding audit also played an important role inensuring probity, transparency and accountability ingovernance.
He said corruption in society had led to "skewedallocation of incomes and allowed domestic elites and largecorporates a supercilious hold over policies and laws".
The political executive moulded policy formulation totheir advantage, often at the expense of the disadvantagedin society, he said. "It is undeniable that poor governance retards economicgrowth and defeats the objective of inclusion as it hurts thepoor", Rai said.