CAG of India visits Spain to foster bilateral relations with court of accounts
Apr 24, 2024
NEW DELHI: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, Girish Chandra Murmu, embarked on a visit to the office of the Court of Accounts (Tribunal de Cuentas) of Spain to strengthen bilateral cooperation, knowledge sharing, and capacity development between the two institutions.
The visit aimed to deepen discussions on the functioning of the respective Supreme Audit Institutions of both nations and explore avenues for collaboration.
During his visit, Murmu engaged in extensive deliberations with Enriqueta Chicano, President of the Court of Accounts, Spain.
Discussions revolved around the respective mandates, organizational structure, audit planning and execution methodologies, institutional independence, and recent initiatives undertaken by both institutions.
Chicano elaborated on the independence enjoyed by the Court of Accounts from the executive branch and highlighted recent initiatives in performance audit and the evaluation of public policies.
Murmu shed light on the recent emphasis placed on leveraging Information Technology, and capacity building in areas such as environmental audit and audit of the Blue Economy, among others.
Both heads expressed mutual interest in strengthening bilateral cooperation and outlined plans to formalize this commitment through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the near future.
In addition to meeting with Chicano, Murmu also met Pablo Arellano Pardo, the Comptroller General of the State Administration (IGAE), Spain.
The IGAE, serving as the internal supervisory agency of the state public sector, plays a key role in ensuring compliance with principles of legality, economy, efficiency, and effectiveness.
Acknowledging the commonality of mandates in the accounting function, both dignitaries appreciated how internal audit complements external audit, and aligns with the shared objective of promoting transparency and accountability in governance.
They deliberated on emerging challenges and opportunities stemming from digitization, the development of common accounting formats, and the imperative of fiscal responsibility and debt sustainability for both federal and provincial governments.
