No transparency | Business Line

No transparency | Business Line

Public accountability*

This refers to the report “CAG can audit private telcos, says High Court”(January 7). Article 149 of the Constitution mentions inter alia that “ The CAG shall perform such duties and exercise such powers in relation to the accounts of the Union and of the States and of any other authority or body as may be prescribed by or under any law made by Parliament…”. Perhaps those who drafted Indian Constitution might not have foreseen the kind of scrutiny now being necessitated by vanishing accountability on the part of ‘public servants’ who handle public funds. If the cardinal principle of financial management that sources and uses of funds should be subject to prudent accounting when money is collected from public is still valid, contesting the right to audit by those vested with that responsibility doesn’t stand reason. What baffles common man is the resistance to transparency in accounting, whether it is gold or money or any other assets. Government should make it clear that ‘public funds’ whether it be revenue receipts or funds mobilised by corporates or donations or offerings received by political parties or religious organisations, will have to be accounted in a transparent manner and will be subject to scrutiny by authorities mandated with such responsibility.

M G Warrier, Thiruvananthapuram 

*Unedited version of letter dated January 7, 2014

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