Officers of Audit and Accounts Service guardians of public trust, financial prudence: Prez

Asserting that CAG reports play a pivotal part in enforcing accountability on the executive, President Ram Nath Kovind said Monday that officers of the Audit and Accounts Service are guardians of public trust and financial prudence.

The president was addressing separate groups of officer trainees of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Indian Trade Service and Indian Information Service, who had called on him at Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

Addressing the officer trainees, Kovind said that the Audit and Accounts Service officers have a critical role in ensuring the accountability of the executive to the legislature.

"The reports of the CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General), submitted to the legislature, play a pivotal part in enforcing accountability on the executive. Officers of the Audit and Accounts Service are guardians of public trust and financial prudence," he said.

The president said that in today's globalised world, the strength of a nation is assessed by the strength of its economy.

"Nations compete for a share of global markets and trade. While we have done quite well in promoting our trade in the past two decades, there is a lot more to be achieved," he said.

Kovind said, historically, India had a substantial share in global trade.

"Today, our country's share in global trade is around two per cent. The officers of the trade service too have an important role in ensuring that our country regains its position in the global trade order," the president said.

Addressing those from the Indian Information Service, he said that despite the information age, there is still a large segment of population that lacks awareness about government programmes and welfare schemes from which they can benefit.

"We must ensure that information about these programmes and schemes reaches citizens living in the remotest of places and the smallest of villages. It is here that officers of the Indian Information Service play an important role. It is for Indian Information Service officers to make the government's outreach and communication relevant, timely, practical and effective," Kovind said.