CAG can't play the role of cheer leaders: Rai

"Our role is not merely to audit the expenditure of government. Our mandate is not merely to prepare Audit Report and place them in Parliament. Our mandate is to hold the government financially accountable to the legislature. We cannot don the role of cheer leaders," Rai said delivering Harekrushna Mahatab memorial lecture here.

Obviously referring to statements of certain politicians in power on the role of CAG in recent years, Rai said CAG's professional specialisation is to point out sub-optimality in policy formulation, lacuna in policy implementation and to provide constructive suggestions for overcoming inadequacies.

Since young citizenry will seek a voice in administration and policy formulation, Rai said it becomes incumbent upon to audit and to sensitise public opinion on its findings in the course of audit. "We have also taken steps to disseminate our major audit findings in schemes implemented in the social sector through small pamphlets," he said.

Though elected executives is supreme in parliamentary democracy, Rai said the bureaucracy need to be bold and loyal to the Constitution and not to any "individual."

"They (bureaucracy) have to keep the nation in focus and not hold to their 'kursi'. The Indian Bureaucracy has all the muscles - at times these turn to fat and get lodged in the wrong places!" Rai remarked.