‘Past 18 months have been trying for India’
SHIMLA: The past 18 months have been trying for the country said President Ram Nath Kovind here on Saturday
He was speaking at the valedictory ceremony of the Indian audit and accounts service officer trainees of 2018 and 2019 batches at the National Academy of Audit and Accounts in Shimla.
“Economy was badly disrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Government has taken many measures to alleviate distress and for welfare of the needy,” he said.
“These are often financed through money which may be said to have been borrowed from our children and grandchildren. We owe it to them that these scarce resources are put to best possible use and are most effectively used for welfare of the poor,” he added.
“Audit engagements provide a unique opportunity of gaining a deep understanding of the system and place CAG in a good position of suggesting improvements,” he said.
“Governments will take a serious note of the advice made by an institution like CAG. This will positively impact our public service delivery standards,” he added.
The President said for citizens’ convenience, government processes are increasingly getting digitised. “Fast expanding technology frontier has reduced distance between state and citizens. Through direct benefit transfer, money can reach the poorest citizen in the most remote corner of the country at the push of a computer button. From an audit perspective, this is a ‘small challenge’ and ‘huge opportunity’,” he added.
Using advanced analytics tools, information from large volumes of data can be weaned out without travelling afar. Systemic red flags can be raised at an earlier stage.
He said such surroundings are a great place for learning pursuits. These surroundings also teach us of onerous responsibility of leaving the same pristine nature for our future generations to enjoy. Despite India’s developmental needs, we have undertaken significant responsibility to address global climate change challenge and environmental protection.
Kovind, who is on a four-day tour to Shimla, also visited Jakhu Temple along with members of his family on Saturday. He made a brief halt at the historic Ridge and interacted with the public. He asked people if they faced any inconveniences due to his visit to Shimla. On Friday, he had addressed the special session of the Vidhan Sabha.