CAG concludes 32nd Accountants General Conference in Delhi

New Delhi [India], November 19 : The Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India on Wednesday concluded its 32nd Accountants General Conference in New Delhi.
The high-level, two-day summit brought together the entire senior management of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department (IA&AD), including over 100 Accountants General and Heads of Department from across the country.
The conference, themed "Leading Change & Reaffirming Values: Trust, Innovation, Sustainability, Accountability," set a decisive, future-forward agenda for public audit in India.
According to a release, the deliberations were enriched by insights from distinguished external experts, including K Srinath Reddy, who delivered a keynote address on 'Public Health in India', and Saurabh K Tiwari, Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, who led a session on 'Direct Benefit Transfer', reflecting the institution's collaborative approach to addressing complex governance challenges.
In his concluding remarks, the CAG of India, K Sanjay Murthy, outlined a vision for the institution as a data-driven, technologically advanced, and forward-looking partner in the nation's journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047.
Institutional Strengthening: A New Centre of Excellence in Hyderabad
A cornerstone of the institution's future strategy is a renewed focus specialisation. A landmark announcement from the conference was the establishment of a Centre of Excellence for Financial Audit in Hyderabad. This national hub is envisioned to be at the forefront of innovation, research, and professional development in financial auditing.
The Centre will serve as an incubator for global best practices, foster advanced skills, and drive the standardisation of high-quality financial audit methodologies across the department. This significant institutional investment is a direct commitment to strengthening the foundations of fiscal trust and transparency. By creating a dedicated Centre of Excellence, the CAG's institution is reinforcing its role as the supreme audit institution, ensuring that its practices not only meet but also set the global benchmarks for excellence in this domain.
In a step towards fostering research and academic collaboration, the conference also unveiled a new awards scheme for research to be operationalised in collaboration with the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR).
This strategic initiative aims to encourage high-quality research in public finance and accountability. The awards will focus on four key thematic areas, designed to generate actionable insights and strengthen the theoretical underpinnings of public audit.
Reimagining Audit through Data informed Audits and Artificial Intelligence
The conference marked a strategic pivot towards revolutionizing audit methodologies by unlocking the full potential of data and artificial intelligence. The leadership issued a clear directive to break down the silos between its Audit and Accounts functions, recognizing the department's Accounts Offices as goldmines of invaluable financial data.
The mandate is to transform the boundary between Audit and Accounts into a seamless bridge, enabling audit teams to systematically leverage granular data including vouchers, sanctions, and challans for their work. This marks a fundamental shift from traditional sample-based auditing to a more comprehensive, holistic analysis of entire datasets. This deeper integration will be powered by cutting-edge technology.
The conference also highlighted the development of the CAG-LLM, an indigenously built Large Language Model, and the pioneering projects where AI was deployed for auditing. This is not merely about automation; it is about leveraging AI for predictive insights, identifying anomalies, and conducting risk assessments with unprecedented accuracy. By combining deep data synergy with AI-driven analytics, the CAG is positioning itself to conduct sharper, more focused, and evidence-based audits with far greater impact.
Leading Change, Reaffirming Values: A Renewed Commitment to National Priorities
These transformative pillars of institutional excellence and technological innovation are seamlessly woven into the conference's overarching theme. The deep dive into data and AI represents the forward-looking spirit of Innovation, while a renewed focus on integrating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria into audits underscores a commitment to Sustainability.
These initiatives are not ends in themselves but are geared towards enhancing the institution's role as a key enabler of good governance and a trusted partner in achieving national priorities. Future audits will focus on citizen-centric areas such as Ease of Living, Ease of Doing Business and Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN), ensuring that the benefits of public policy reach their intended recipients. Additionally, the department is spearheading efforts to develop a comprehensive assessment matrix for Autonomous Bodies to build their capacity and enhance audit oversight.
In conclusion, the 32nd Accountants General Conference marks a defining moment. Rooted in the values of trust, accountability, and public service, the institution is now embracing bold strides in data-driven technologies, AI-enabled insights, and specialised competencies. With a sharpened focus on outcomes that matter to citizens, the CAG reaffirms its commitment to being a dynamic and future-ready audit institution, one that not only safeguards public resources but also actively contributes to building a transparent, efficient, and inclusive governance ecosystem in the march towards Viksit Bharat 2047.