Government should modernize itself: President

It is necessary for the government to modernize itself in order to meet the rising demand of people for more efficiency in delivery systems, President Pranab Mukherjee said Friday.

"Today there is a rising expectation among the public for greater efficiency in delivery systems. To address these concerns it is imperative for government departments to modernize their systems and make them citizen-centric," Mukherjee said addressing a group of 16 probationers of the Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) who called on him at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

He said the Indian Civil Accounts Service was carved out of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service in 1976 as part of reforms in India's public financial management system.

A strong and well-managed treasury function is the base for all kind of planning in governance and development, the president said.

He said that availability of timely and relevant financial and accounting data is the critical requirement of the government for better planning and management of its finances and budget.