CAG has enough powers to ensure 'unfettered' audits

Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai has said that Constitution has adequately empowered the public auditor to exercise its functions and ensure unfettered audits. "We do not need more powers, the constitution makers in this country have been fair while conceptualising the role of the CAG... in terms of scope and in terms of powers both have been very well defined and adequate powers and scope have been given to CAG for him to ensure that its audit is unfettered," he said in an interview to All India Radio (AIR). The official auditor has been criticised by the government for its reports on 2G spectrum and coal block allocations. Rai said, however, that he did not face any pressure from the government during the auditing process. "The government or other agencies within the country respect the independence of the CAG, I have never felt any kind of pressure while formulating our reports," he said, adding, "an audit usually highlights failure or lacunae in projects. CAG is an agency to ensure that good practises are disseminated pan India." Replying to a question over the simplification of CAG reports, he said: "My department and I certainly believe that whatever are our findings (they) are certainly meant to be debated in the PAC (Public Accounts Committee) and Parliament ... We have a larger role to perform because the ultimate stakeholder in the parliamentary democracy that we have in India is the man on the street." The CAG reports should be prepared in a manner which can be understood by the common-man, Rai said, adding that the entire auditing process has been telescoped to ensure early completion of the auditing process. "These days we have telescoped the audit process, we ensure that the entire audit process is eight months of the event having been completed. "The reports now are very current, they have relevance, the issues are in public domain and it can be discussed whether in the PAC or in the Parliament while the issue is very live," Rai said. Earlier, the audit reports were out presented three to four years after the completion of the event. CAG, he said, was also working towards building a team to carry out specialised audits and was looking at possibility of entering the area of environmental auditing.