Expenditure on rural development schemes open to CAG audit: Jairam Ramesh

New Delhi, Nov 4(ANI): Union Rural Development and Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Jairam Ramesh today said that expenditure on all the schemes of the two ministries will be open to audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) both in the Centre and the states.

He said that the action plan will enhance accountability in public expenditure in rural development programmes of the Central Government.

"The CAG may conduct not only financial audit and compliance audit, but also performance audits with regard to these schemes. To begin with performance audits of MGNREGA in twelve states will be taken up. These states are Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh," a Ministry of Rural Development statement said.

"The audit of all schemes of the Ministries of Rural Development and Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation will be entrusted to Accountants General in different states so as to ensure that a focused and comprehensive audit is carried out. The AG offices will be so nominated and staffed that they possess the knowledge and expertise to conduct an effective audit and will cover all states on a cluster basis," he added. (ANI)