My Special Project

Finally I had an answer. Finally it was right in front of me. After all the long, rambling and mind numbing hours of reading dreary reports could not have been just because I was working on a special project. It just couldn’t be. Hadn’t I been brave? When the reports had been handed over I had took them with a big smile and well concealed sinking heart. When I finally got to know that Vinod Rai, the current Comptroller and Auditor General of India had taken office on my birthday I took it as an answer to the question haunting me. Why was I reading audit reports in my summer vacation during my internship? I am a 19 year old. Don’t I already have enough issues to deal with? But it was clear to me now that it was higher calling. No wonder I had abandoned my plan to let my hair down and burn the building itself. Maybe I wouldn’t have been successful but oh the satisfaction. But the glow of knowledge warmed me. It was a karmic connection. I took it as an explanation and worked harder. I snapped to attention to fulfill the demands of the great forces and steadily waded through the performance, regulatory, union, local and state audit reports.
It took time for me to comprehend what was happening. I was actually becoming interested. I pinched myself. Nope not dreaming. Looked up at the sky. No pearly gates. That meant I was actually interested.
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India is an authority, established by the Constitution of India, who audits all receipts and expenditure of the Government of India and the state governments, including those of bodies and authorities substantially financed by the government.
Yes even I was in shock after reading this. So we basically already have a body that audits various arms of the government, notifies them about the flaws and gives feasible recommendations. So what went wrong? They didn’t have the power. Believe it or not they actually said BRT was a bad idea before the construction started. Next time you are in that never ending jam you can’t say why anyone didn’t think about the catastrophic effect it would have. Sorry to burst your bubble but they already did. At this time of time of recession our ears definitely do pucker up with the mention of money. So hear this loud and clear. CAG detected some serious fallout in the accounts of some government departments in a report on government's accounts for 2007-08. Amount: Rs. 20,273.52 crore. Reports from the year 1983 in some states have still not seen daylight.
They do an average of 100 audits every year. Are they even a blip on the common man’s radar? Not really. It wasn’t on mine before I read up on it. I had thought reading them was a pain but the amount of hard work that must have gone in preparing them is an astonishing realization. So next time before I start to crib and utter the blasphemous words “No one does anything. No one thinks about the layman.” Because I know it for a fact that they do. And now when I read my words “I am a 19year old. Don’t I already have enough issues?” I freeze myself with the answer that jumps to mind. No I don’t. Now I have learnt that there are so many thinks lacking with my country, large and miniscule. Too many changes have to take place and too many like the old me loitering around.