CAG-ICSSR Colloquium: Public Understanding of Audit

New Delhi, Nov 12 (PTI) The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, in partnership with the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), has launched 'CAG-ICSSR Colloquium Series', a year-long national initiative aimed at enhancing public understanding of audit findings, fiscal governance, and accountability.

Senior officials from the CAG and ICSSR, eminent academicians, policy experts, and research scholars, participated in the launch event held here on Tuesday to deliberate on the critical themes of 'State Finances' and the 'Audit of the Health Sector'.

In his welcome address, Dhananjay Singh, Member Secretary, ICSSR, highlighted the immense value in the CAG's audit reports.

He emphasised that this collaborative series aims to unlock that value by making it accessible to the academic community, thereby creating a robust evidence base for social science research and informed public discourse.

Rahul Kumar, Director of CAG, made a presentation on the State Finances of Delhi.

In his special address, Ram Singh, Director of the Delhi School of Economics and Council Member, ICSSR, contextualised the public finances within the broader macroeconomic framework, discussing the implications of state-level fiscal health on developmental outcomes.

Swati Pandey, Principal Director at the Office of CAG of India, presented findings from recent audits of the health sector in Delhi.

She spoke on systemic issues in public health infrastructure, efficiency gaps in service delivery, and challenges in the management of healthcare schemes.

The Office of CAG said the colloquium marks the beginning of a comprehensive series of 31 such events planned across 28 States and 3 Union Territories between November 2025 and November 2026.

Each event will be jointly coordinated by the respective State Accountant General's Office and ICSSR, focusing on state-specific audit reports and themes of local relevance.

As part of this collaborative effort, a National Research Article Competition has also been envisaged. The competition aims to engage students, researchers, and young scholars in analysing CAG's audit reports, thereby promoting research-oriented learning, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP).