CAG is an institution that has grown in importance, PM Narendra Modi said

Audit was now considered as an important part of value addition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday.

Addressing an event marking the celebration of the first Audit Diwas, PM Modi said there was a time when auditing in the country was looked upon with apprehension and dread.

"'CAG vs Government', had become the common thought of our system. But, today this mindset has changed. Today audit is being considered as an important part of value addition," he pointed out.

The Prime Minister said, “Today we are making such a system in which the thinking of 'Sarkar Sarvam' i.e. the interference of the government is decreasing, and your work is also getting easier in accordance with 'Minimum Government Maximum Governance'".

The Prime Minister expressed happiness that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has overcome the image of a meddlesome busybody fumbling with files. He noted that “CAG has changed rapidly by adopting modern procedures. Today you are using advanced analytics tools, geo spatial data and satellite imagery”.

The Prime Minister said CAG not just keeps track of nations accounts but also does value addition in productivity and efficiency, therefore deliberations on the Audit Day and related programmes are part of our improvement and improvisation.

"CAG is an institution that has grown in importance and has created a legacy with passage of time," he noted.

Dueing his address, PM Modi also pointed out that earlier, due to lack of transparency in the banking sector, various wrong practices were followed. The result was that the NPAs of the banks kept increasing.

“You know very well how, in the past, NPAs were brushed under the carpet. However, we have put the truth of the previous governments in front of the country with complete honesty. We will find the solutions only when we recognize the problems”, he said.

The Prime Minister unveiled a statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on the occasion. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Shri Girish Chandra Murmu was among those present at the event.