CAG outreach from babus to political executives now

New Delhi [India], March 22 : From just dealing with the bureaucracy, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) is now reaching out to the political executive in the Union and states.
In his address to Indian Information Service (IIS) probationers during an orientation programme on Wednesday, CAG Girish Chandra Murmu said that the "outreach is now being extended to include political executives to highlight audit concerns. The intention is to build a shared understanding of the most pressing concerns in governance and find possible solutions."
The probationers belong to three batches of 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Underlining that the public has the right to access fair and objective information, whether it is about the government or otherwise, Murmu explained to the IIS probationers: "As officers, you should be able to guide the ministries and departments, the dignitaries and functionaries you are going to cover. Here positioning, marketing and principles will come to play a role. The core of your training is to learn these strategies, and the soft skills to add value to you work."
Explaining the interactive role of the IIS with the media, the CAG said that the media is a very powerful tool that adds value to society. "In the Indian context, it has helped to disseminate the government's plans and initiatives. As a probationer, you have to understand the perspective and vision of your department, and it should improve the country's image in the international arena."
The CAG also cautioned the young officers of the challenges of the future media saying that they will have to deal with "emerging self-help AI tools such as ChatGPT" and also "big data and Artificial Intelligence". Several high-profile case studies were highlighted during the session including the positive impact of auditing, apart from the CAG's path-breaking initiative to natural resources accounting and the scope of artificial intelligence in the field of audit and accounts.