Furnishing Action Taken Notes

18/10/2019

The Finance Department on June 9, 1997 issued instructions to all the departments of the State Government to intimate to Public Accounts Committee/ Committee of Public Undertakings, the action taken or proposed to be taken on the Audit Paragraphs featuring in the reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India irrespective of the fact whether these are taken up for discussion or not. However, there is no end to the dilly-dallying approach on the part of most of the Government departments in furnishing Action Taken Notes (ATNs) and Replies on Audit Paragraphs featuring in numerous reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India despite explicit directions issued on the intervention of the Chief Secretary. The concerned authorities are creating hurdles instead of facilitating transparency and accountability in the system. The instructions interalia included furnishing of suo-moto Action Taken Notes by the administrative departments vetted by audit on all the Audit Paragraphs included in the Audit Reports within three months after their presentation in the State Legislature.
However, there was no strict compliance to the instructions of the Finance Department for years together and later the General Administration Department on July 26, 2017 reiterated the directions to all the administrative departments mentioning that inaction on their part was creating impediments in achieving the objective behind the detailed exercise by the supreme audit institution of the country. Despite instructions of Finance Department and General Administration Department there has not been any significant improvement in the responsiveness of the Executive despite the fact that speedy follow-up action on the Audit Paragraphs is essential. For the convenience of the departments even relevant information vis-à-vis Audit Paragraphs was furnished to all the concerned Administrative Secretaries but despite lapse of more than eight months there is no perceptible improvement in responses from majority of the departments. It is a matter of serious concern that bureaucrats are not ready to understand that findings of the supreme audit institution of the country are aimed at ensuring better utilization of funds, strict adherence to the rules and bringing much-needed improvement in the functioning of the Government departments.
Meanwhile, Accountant General Audit had conveyed to the Chief Secretary in the month of January this year that out of 682 Audit Paragraphs featuring in the reports of CAG for the year 2000-01 to 2015-16, only 329 Audit Paragraphs were discussed by the Committees as on September 2018. The Committees could make recommendations in respect of 306 Audit Paragraphs. However, there are 244 suo-moto ATNs and 228 ATNs on the recommendations of the Committees outstanding from the Administrative Departments as on September 2018.

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