President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate the 28th Accountants General Conference being organized by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India here on 20th October, 2016. Lok Sabha Speaker, Ms. Sumitra Mahajan, Public Accounts Committee Chairman, Prof. K V Thomas and CAG of India, Shri Shashi Kant Sharma will also address the Conference. On the second day of the conference Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley will address the officers.

The Accountants General from all over the country will participate in the conference and will review the international best practices prevalent in audit and accounting. Besides the main theme, they will deliberate upon four brain storming sessions on (i) Auditing the programmes related to Sustainable Development Goals (ii) Meeting Challenges in Revenue Audit (iii) Impact of Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS)on Accounts & Entitlement (A&E) Functions & (iv) Audit of Local Bodies: Perspectives & Concerns. The recommendations emerging out of these sessions will be presented to the full assembly chaired by the CAG with all the Dy. CAGs and Addl. Dy. CAGs present.

The environment in which audited entities, and consequently audit, functions is very dynamic - both in terms of structure and methods of implementation of public policy as well as the practice of audit and accounting. In order to keep pace with this dynamic environment, it is important that the IA&AD keeps reinventing and rejuvenating itself. A regular internal and external consultative process facilitates this effort to adapt and upgrade professional practices and methods of functioning. With this view, the IA&AD regularly organizes seminars, conferences and workshops. The Accountants General Conference is a prime platform where the entire top level management of the IA&AD come together once in two years to review, discuss and recommend the direction in which the IA&AD needs to move in order to deliver its mandated duties in the best possible manner. It offers a forum for exchange of ideas, grappling with evolving issues and experience sharing. .

Indian Audit and Accounts Department (IA&AD), headed by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, constantly strives to discharge its professional duties, both as an auditor and an accountant, in accordance with the international best practices. Today auditors are seen as partners in improving the governance, and audit reports serve as an aid to governments. In the public domain there is an increasing awareness and demand for transparency and accountability in public sector service delivery. The Comptroller and Auditor General is seen as the agency which is mandated to keep a watch on economic, efficient and effective governance. The foundation of sound governance with accountability rests on a system of robust public financial reporting. .

About 200 Accountants General posted all over the country, former CAGs of India, members of Audit Advisory Board, members of Government Accounting Standards Advisory Board and senior government officials are attending the conference.

Public sector accountability reinforced through national accountants general conference reviewing audit practices and governance reforms. Conference convenes senior IA&AD leadership to align audit and accounting functions with international best practices, strengthen transparency and public sector accountability, and improve public financial reporting. Four thematic sessions-SDG-related programme auditing, revenue audit challenges, IFMS impact on Accounts & Entitlement functions, and audit of local bodies-generate recommendations for the full assembly to guide organisational direction, capacity building and improvements in audit oversight.