Auditors need to develop cohesive strategy to deliver value to citizens: CAG Murmu

CAS has 21 members, and two observers AFROSAI-E and SAI Thailand. The Subcommittee meets annually and the meeting is hosted by one of the member SAIs.

Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Girish Chandra Murmu on Thursday said auditors need to develop a cohesive strategy in order to deliver value to citizens to whom they are ultimately responsible.

The CAG of India inaugurated the two-day 19th Annual Meeting of the INTOSAI Compliance Audit Subcommittee (CAS) hosted by SAI India in Bengaluru.

In his pre-recorded inaugural address, Murmu highlighted the contributions made by CAS to International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) standard setting and other capacity building activities.

The CAG reminded the participants that the new INTOSAI Strategic Plan to be adopted from 2023 would provide new visions, perspectives, and a new set of priorities to the public audit community.

The new plan has placed equality and inclusiveness at the core of their audit concerns. The problem of inequality manifests in multiple dimensions -- gender, financial, ethnic, cultural, linguistic, regional and so on, he said.

''As auditors we need to develop a cohesive strategy that addresses the problem in all its dimensions and enables us to deliver value to the citizens to whom we are ultimately responsible,'' Murmu said.

He also stressed that Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) need to be resilient in the face of challenging circumstances and prove their relevance by proactively engaging with the users and ultimate beneficiaries of the reports.

The meeting is being attended by Hussain Niyazy, Auditor General of Maldives, and Olfa Mamlouk, President of the Chamber, Court of Accounts of Tunisia, along with other delegates from member SAIs and observers.

About 15 delegates from the SAIs of Qatar, South Africa, Russia, Portugal, Norway, Namibia, Georgia and Maldives are attending the meeting in person.

Over 20 delegates from all over the world have also joined online, CAG said in a release.

CAS is one of the four Subcommittees under the Professional Standards Committee (PSC) of INTOSAI.

SAI India took over the chairmanship of CAS from SAI Norway in November 2016. CAS has 21 members, and two observers (AFROSAI-E and SAI Thailand). The Subcommittee meets annually and the meeting is hosted by one of the member SAIs.