AGP visited: Alvi underscores need for better legal framework in govt spending, financial accountability

ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday emphasised the need to improve the legal framework to strengthen transparency in government spending and financial accountability.

Speaking at a meeting during his visit to the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP), the president said transparency could be improved by documentation of the economy and digitizing the government’s transactions.

AGP Muhammad Ajmal Gondal also briefed the president about the role and performance of the office.

President Alvi said the use of modern technology would improve the performance of the AGP. He stressed the need to create awareness about the role of the AGP, its activities and the audit findings.

He said the parliamentary oversight was important to ensure the judicious use of the public money and promote transparency in the government departments.

President Alvi appreciated the AGP’s role in improving parliamentary oversight and transparency in the government sector. He said the Auditor General’s role in identifying flaws and stabilizing the government’s financial management system is very important.

During the meeting, the AGP informed the president about the role of the institution in the process of financial accountability. “The office of the Auditor General of Pakistan is taking steps to make the audit process more effective.”

It was informed in the meeting that the Auditor General completed 95 per cent compliance audits in Fiscal Year 2022-23. Improvements in audit and accounting processes will promote transparency, accountability and good governance, the meeting was told.

Similarly, it was informed that steps were underway to incorporate advanced technology platforms and artificial intelligence tools into the audit process.

The meeting was further informed that digitization of the accounting process helped payments to the pensioners in an effective way. With the help of digitization, the performance of the institution has improved which directly benefited the citizens, the president was informed.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024