Birla proposes digital audit platform for state legislatures, calls for timely action on PAC reports

Thiruvananthapuram: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has proposed a common digital audit monitoring platform for state legislatures, similar to the platform available to parliamentary committees, to facilitate systematic monitoring of audit observations and ensure the timely examination and disposal of audit reports.Speaking at the valedictory of the two-day Conference of Chairpersons of Public Accounts Committees (PAC) of Parliament of India and States/UTs Legislatures on Wednesday, Birla said the platform would strengthen follow-up mechanisms and improve the monitoring of audit findings.Referring to Lok Sabha PAC chairperson P C Venugopal’s suggestions, Birla called for Parliament and state legislatures to jointly develop a system for continuous audit scrutiny and timely disposal of reports.He said a coordinated institutional mechanism would promote synergy and experience-sharing and strengthen PACs nationwide.Birla said CAG audit observations must lead to corrective action and tangible improvements in administration.The executive, he said, must accord due importance to the recommendations of the committees and ensure timely implementation.Birla said rising public investment in sectors including education, healthcare, infrastructure, social welfare and rural development made the prudent use of public funds increasingly important.Venugopal said the conference proposed enforceable timelines for govts to respond to committee recommendations and called for at least one PAC report to be discussed annually in Parliament and state legislatures.He also called for closer Centre-state coordination in scrutinising centrally sponsored schemes and proposed at least one annual meeting of Union and state PACs on the schemes.Venugopal said the previous Parliament’s PAC found that pre- and post-matric scholarships for SC students had been delayed for seven years, with neither Centre nor the states aware of the amount disbursed.Through the Keralam Resolution, the conference called for a digital portal to facilitate peer learning and sharing of best practices among PACs, along with standard timelines for action taken notes and digital audit-monitoring systems such as audit para monitoring system.State and Union territory PACs were urged to meet at least three times a month, form sub-committees to clear pending audit observations and work closely with the CAG’s office to use forensic tools to identify high-risk areas requiring legislative oversight.Stay updated with the latest Thiruvananthapuram news. Download the TOI App.