The BJP leader and PAC Chairman, Mr Murli Manohar Joshi, has praised the Finance Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, for defending both the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) when they came under attack.

“At a time when democratic institutions are under attack and several scams have come to light, it is heartening that Finance Minister Mr Pranab Mukherjee has come out in support of the institutions,” he said at the valedictory function of the 150 years of the institution of Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

The BJP veteran referred to Mr Mukherjee's speech at the ADB annual meeting at Hanoi in which he had said that Indian governance system is fortified with strong checks and balances through institutions such as the PAC and CAG and said “such clear statements really go a long way in infusing confidence in these institutions”.

“I congratulate the Finance Minister for your support and believe that you will continue to support these institutions. They are highly dependent on you for the principle of transparency,” he said.

Mr Joshi also said it was unfortunate that quite recently, faced with CAG's critical observations in his reports, a section of the press and even some parliamentarians have tried to whittle down the credibility of the institution of the CAG. Mr Joshi also trashed as “baseless” allegations that he tried to expedite the C&AG audit of the 2G spectrum allocation terming the charge as a “childish” attempt to tarnish the image of the two institutions.

“These allegations are totally false and baseless. It is an attempt with malafide intentions to malign the C&AG and the PAC,” he told reporters at the sideline of the event.

Earlier in his speech, Mr Mukherjee said in a world of growing complexities and uncertainties, the possibility of institutional failures, oversight and ignorance impacting the decision-making process cannot be ruled out.

Institutions and individuals, who have the benefit of hindsight, while reviewing the work of others can provide invaluable guidance in improvement of processes to improve decision making and attain greater efficiency, he said.

Asserting that the government was fully committed to wipe out corruption from the system, he said corruption is a many headed hydra.

In his speech, the C&AG of India, Mr Vinod Rai, said that the institution of CAG comprises the best professionals who have withstood the most intense scrutiny over the years...their track record has been impeccable. Shishir.s@thehindu.co.in

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