THE NEW AUDITOR GENERAL
Mr. C.G. Somiah was sworn in as the Comptroller and Auditor General of India on March 27,1990 by the President of India, under Art. 148(1) of the Constitution of India. He succeeds Mr. T.N. Chaturvedi. Mr. T.N.Chaturvedi, as is well known, had contributed to the interaction amongst SAIs, in no small measure.
Mr. Somiah was earlier Central Vigilance Commissioner, the country's highest authority to advise on action to be taken against Civil Servants found guilty of corrupt practices. Significantly, he was the Home Secretary prior to that appointment. He had held many distinguished positions earlier to that, with emphasis on Finance, Planning and company Law. He did his sabbatical at the Oxford University as a Queen Elizabeth Fellow, in 1974-75.
A keen sportsman, he had won many trophies in Tennis, Badminton and Bridge Tournaments. He is widely travelled.
Mr. Somiah has become a member of the Governing Board of ASOSAI on his assumption of office as Comptroller and Auditor General in place of Mr. Chaturvedi.
The SAI had played a significant role in developing professional research with the other SAIs, by participating actively in the General Assembly and Executive Council of AR ABOS AI in Khartoum in January 1989, in the Committee on Arabic as the second working language of ASOSAI in Jakarta in February 1989, in the scientific meeting of the German Foundation for International Development (DSE) in March, 1989, in the 13th Congress of INTOSAI in Berlin in June 1989, in the Scientific Research and Training of ARABOSAI in Tunis in September 1989, in the Third meeting of Presidents of Audit Bureau of the Gulf cooperation Council in Riyadah in October 1989 and in a Seminar on Housing Sector in Iraq in November 1989. Training has a strong presence in the national seminars of the SAI also. The leadership of H.E. the President of the Audit Bureau, Kuwait had gained this pioneering role for the SAI.
The Jorg Kandutsch Award was presented to H.E. Sheikh Omar A. Fakieh, State Minister and President, General Auditing Bureau, at the 13th International Congress of Supreme Audit Institutions (XIIIth INCOSAI) held in West Berlin in June 1989, in recognition of the extraordinary achievement in organisation structure, application of new work methods, positive results of good systems of internal control and contributions or assistance to other member SAIs.
An INTOSAI Committee chaired by the General Auditing Bureau of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was established in 1984 to develop and formulate the auditing standards. On the basis of the action plan approved in the Governing Board meeting in Sydney in 1985, the Committee finalised and adopted the "INTOSAI Auditing Standards" at its Xlllth Congress held in West Berlin in June 1989 for use as guidelines by the member SAIs. The standards consist of four parts: basic postulates, general standards, field standards and reporting standards. Each SAI is free to apply these standards according to its particular constitutional, legal and other circumstances.
NEW AUDITOR GENERAL
Mr. Snit Senasook, Deputy Auditor General, was appointed as Auditor General on October 1,1989 succeeding Mr. Mauas Vongyuttitham who retired at the end of September 1989.
The Supreme Audit Institution, in its Fourth General Report had concentrated on the necessity of preparing all requirements for practising Performance Audit especially in the educational Sector. That report had dealt with important aspects like management of investments, financial violation, working of the Power Sector, Emirates Communication Corporate debts, administration of employment regulations and multiplicity of public enterprises.
TRAINING
During 1989, three International Training Programmes were organised by SAI India. The first one on Audit of Scientific Departments was held from February 13 to March 28 and thirty officers from fifteen countries participated. The second programme on Audit of Public Utilities and Social Services was held from April 17 to May 29 and thirty five officers from twenty countries participated. Audit of Receipts was the third programme held from September 25 to November 6 in which forty-one officers from twenty-four countries participated. In 1990, till the issue of this Journal, one International Training Programme on Audit of Public Enterprises was held from February 12 to March 26 and forty officers from twenty countries participated.
ASOSAI RESEARCH PROGRAMME
'Accountability and Control of Public Enterprises' covering the profiles of Public Enterprises of 13 member countries and 8 others has since been published by ASOSAI in 1989.
Mr. K. Thyagarajan, Chairman Audit Board, addresses the participants
during
the valediction session of the International Training
Programme on Audit of
Receipts on November 6,1989
Mr. T.N. Chaturvedi, Comptroller & Auditor General, shaking hands
with a
participant of International Training Programme on Audit
of Public Enterprises
held at New Delhi during Feb. - Mar. 1990
Participants of International Training
Programme on Public Enterprises
present a bouquet to Mr. C.G. Somiah, Comptroller
& Auditor General
Mr. C.G. Somiah addresses the participants of International
Training
Programme on Audit of Public Enterprises