Thiruvananthapuram: The state govt will host the all-India conference of chairpersons and members of public accounts committees (PACs) for the first time, with the two-day event beginning in the state capital on Tuesday. Members of Parliament, state legislative assemblies and Union territories are expected to attend the conference, which will bring together representatives of PACs from across the country to deliberate on issues concerning public financial accountability and governance.Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla will inaugurate the conference at R Sankaranarayanan Thampi Members’ Lounge in the state legislative assembly complex at 11.30am on Tuesday, speaker Thiruvanchur Radhakrishnan told a news conference. Chief minister V D Satheesan, Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh, Parliament’s PAC chairperson K C Venugopal and state PAC chairperson K N Balagopal will address the inaugural session.The plenary sessions will be held at the assembly hall over the two days, with discussions centred on the theme ‘Audit, Accountability and Good Governance: The Evolving Role of PAC’. A total of 262 members are expected to participate in the conference. The valedictory session will be held at 11.45am on Wednesday.Highlighting Keralam’s historical association with the PAC system, the speaker said the first PAC in the country was constituted in the erstwhile Travancore legislative assembly in 1933. The committee system has since played an important role in ensuring legislative oversight of public expenditure and govt functioning.The primary responsibility of PACs is to examine audit reports submitted by the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) to the governor. The committees scrutinise govt expenditure and examine whether public funds have been utilised in accordance with approved allocations and established procedures.Keralam has a significant place in the evolution of the PAC system. The Keralam legislative assembly first introduced the convention of appointing an opposition member as the chairperson of the committee in 1957, a practice subsequently followed in other legislatures.Over the past 70 years, the Keralam PAC has submitted 1,257 reports, reflecting its role in examining govt expenditure and strengthening legislative accountability.The conference is expected to provide a platform for PAC members from different legislatures to exchange experiences and discuss ways to strengthen audit mechanisms, transparency and accountability in public administration.
About The Author
