{"id":72330,"date":"2025-11-07T11:12:06","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T05:42:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=72330"},"modified":"2025-11-07T11:12:32","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T05:42:32","slug":"cag-to-audit-major-railway-projects-green-initiatives-and-e-procurement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/cag-to-audit-major-railway-projects-green-initiatives-and-e-procurement\/","title":{"rendered":"CAG to Audit Major Railway Projects, Green Initiatives and E-Procurement"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>CAG Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) will audit four key Indian Railways programmes \u2014 including suburban train services, the e-procurement platform, and multimodal transport and logistics initiatives \u2014 with reports to be presented during the Monsoon Session of Parliament in 2026.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a parallel move, the CAG has approved the creation of two centralised audit cadres within the Indian Audit and Accounts Department \u2014 the Central Revenue Audit (CRA) Cadre and the Central Expenditure Audit (CEA) Cadre \u2014 to strengthen expertise and enhance audit quality. The new cadres will become operational from January 1, 2026.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Comptroller and Auditor General of India<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CAG of India is the supreme audit authority of the country, responsible for ensuring accountability and transparency in the use of public funds.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The CAG audits receipts and expenditure of the Central and State Governments, public sector undertakings (PSUs), and autonomous bodies, presenting reports to the President or Governor, which are then laid before Parliament or State Legislatures.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The CAG is often called the \u201cGuardian of the Public Purse.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Constitutional Provision<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The CAG\u2019s office is established under Article 148 of the Constitution of India.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Articles 149\u2013151 outline the duties, powers, and reporting responsibilities of the CAG.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Functions and Powers<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Audits all receipts and expenditure of the Union and States.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Examines financial propriety, efficiency, and performance in government operations.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Audits government-owned corporations, autonomous bodies, and projects funded by public money.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Submits reports to Parliament and State Legislatures through the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Notable Works Across the Globe<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The CAG of India is a member of international audit bodies such as:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">INTOSAI (International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ASOSAI (Asian Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UN Board of Auditors, where India has audited key UN entities like:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">World Health Organization (WHO)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UNESCO<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">United Nations Headquarters (New York)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>CAG to Audit Key Railway Programmes Ahead of 2026 Parliament Session<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) will audit four major Indian Railways programmes \u2014<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Suburban train services,<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">E-procurement platform,<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Multi-Modal Transport and Logistics Initiatives, and<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sustainable Rail Transport (ESG and Green Energy).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The reports will be presented in the Monsoon Session of Parliament in 2026.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Focus on Multi-Modal Transport and Logistics Initiatives<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The audit will focus on \u201cFirst Mile\u2013Last Mile\u201d connectivity, Origin-Destination (O-D) pairs, and integration with logistics hubs.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This review gains importance under the <\/span><b>National Rail Plan (NRP) 2030<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which aims to make Indian Railways \u201cfuture-ready\u201d.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The NRP 2030 aims to develop a \u201cfuture-ready\u201d railway system by creating capacity ahead of demand to meet growth up to 2050.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Its primary goal is to <\/span><b>increase the Railways\u2019 freight modal share to 45%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> through improved operational capacity, infrastructure expansion, and commercial policy reforms.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Railway Audit Wing will conduct the audit in FY 2025\u201326, covering the Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors and the Golden Quadrilateral network.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Mumbai has been engaged as a knowledge partner for the audit.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>IT Audit of Railways\u2019 E-Procurement System<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The CAG will conduct an information technology audit of the Indian Railways E-Procurement System, which manages all procurement activities across the railway network.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The objective is to assess efficiency, transparency, and data security in the digital procurement process.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Audit on Sustainable Rail Transport and Green Energy<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another key focus will be an audit on \u201c<\/span><b>Sustainable Rail Transport: ESGs and Green Energy<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d to evaluate Indian Railways\u2019 progress toward net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This aligns with India\u2019s climate commitments and global sustainability goals, aiming to assess Railways\u2019 role in promoting environment-friendly transport.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Broader Objective<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Through these audits, the CAG aims to provide data-backed insights to help Indian Railways improve operational efficiency, sustainability, and accountability, while ensuring alignment with the country\u2019s infrastructure and climate goals.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>CAG to Form Two Specialised Cadres for Centralised Audit Oversight<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CAD has approved the creation of two new specialised audit cadres within the Indian Audit and Accounts Department (IA&amp;AD) \u2014 the Central Revenue Audit (CRA) and Central Expenditure Audit (CEA) cadres.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Effective January 1, 2026, the <\/span><b>reform aims to centralise and professionalise audit operations<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, enhancing the quality and efficiency of audits of Central Government finances.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Currently, audits of Central receipts and expenditure are conducted by multiple dispersed state offices, causing fragmentation.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The new system will consolidate over 4,000 audit professionals under central control, enabling better manpower management, reduced dependence on redeployments, and stronger audit coherence nationwide.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source<\/b><strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/cag-to-audit-railways-multi-modal-transport-logistics-initiatives-suburban-train-system-10350506\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/cag-to-create-two-more-cadres-for-centralisation\/article70248764.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/articleshowprint\/125139578.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ToI<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CAG to audit Indian Railways\u2019 logistics, suburban services, e-procurement, and sustainability initiatives; reports due in 2026. Two new audit cadres to enhance oversight and efficiency.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":72339,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[3581,60,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-72330","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-cag","9":"tag-mains-articles","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72330"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72330\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}