National conference of PAC chairpersons held in Keralam Assembly makes key recommendations to boost audit mechanism

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, centre, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, second right, Keralam Legislative Assembly Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, left, State Chief Minister V D Satheesan and Congress MP K C Venugopal during the Conference of Chairpersons of Public Accounts Committees (PACs) of Parliament and State/UT Legislatures, in Thiruvananthapuram on November 3, 2026. | Photo Credit: @vdsatheesan/X via PTI Photo The two-day conference of Public Accounts Committees(PAC) chairpersons from 25 States which concluded at the Keralam Assembly on Wednesday (November 4, 2026) recommended, among other things, a robust mechanism for timely audits so that concrete action can be taken.The PACs, a key standing committee of the Parliament and legislatures, are responsible for auditing government revenue and expenditure and examining Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) audit reports.Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who listened to the deliberations, said that the recommendations from the conference will provide a clear pathway for improving the functioning of PACs and ensure that public money is used efficiently and for the right purpose.Chairperson of the PAC of the Parliament K. C. Venugopal, who moderated the deliberations, read out the recommendations at the valedictory function held at the Sankaranarayanan Thampi Members Lounge in the Assembly complex.“CAG reports often reach us years after the money was spent, when officers have moved on and the trail has become untraceable. We were alarmed by the delays by a few governments in placing the reports before the House. There should be a robust mechanism to ensure that all this happens in a timebound manner,” said Mr.Venugopal.Issues with response highlightedHe said that another widely shared frustration by the PAC chairpersons was that the replies from ministries and departments to the PAC often come late, are incomplete or do not come at all. The meeting had a broad agreement on firm, enforceable timelines for replies and implementation of recommendations.Mr.Venugopal, on behalf of the PAC chairpersons, requested the Speaker to ensure that the PAC reports are debated in the Parliament and assemblies so that accountability is fixed by the government and the public would come to know of the valuable work of the PACs.Another major recommendation was for a committee meeting of Central and State PACs at least once a year to discuss the implementation of centrally sponsored schemes. Mr. Venugopal cited the example of the long delays in disbursal of Pre-Matric and Post-Matric Scholarships for Scheduled Caste students. The scholarship was in some cases delayed by up to seven years. There was also a lack of coordination between the Union and State governments in this.The conference also recommended the appointment of specialised staff trained in public finance and audit to aid the work of the PACs. Another recommendation was for a common digital dashboard to track every audit and action taken reports. Published - November 04, 2026 04:13 pm IST