The Civil Accounts Day is annually celebrated across India by the Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS), one of the Civil Services of India under the Department of Expenditure.
- Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman (Chief Guest) addressed the 46th Civil Accounts Day celebration held at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre, Janpath, New Delhi, Delhi.
- Along with ICAS, the Controller General of Accounts (CGA), under the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, the Government of India celebrated the 46th Civil Accounts Day on 2nd March 2022.
Note: 45th Civil Accounts Day was celebrated on 1 March 2021.
Highlights of the event:
Amitabh Kant, chief executive officer (CEO), NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) addressed the technical session on “Reforms in Public Financial Management” and Sanjay Aggarwal, Advisor, Procurement Policy Division, Ministry of Finance made a presentation on “General Guidelines on Procurement and Project Management”.
Launch of E-Bill Processing System:
On the occasion of the 46th Civil Accounts Day (2nd March 2022), Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched a major e-governance initiative ‘the Electronic Bill (e-Bill) processing system’ as part of the ‘Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) and Digital India eco-system’
- The system was developed by the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) Division in the office of the CGA.
- The bills will be processed by First-In-First-Out (FIFO) method.
Key Points:
i.According to the 2022-2023 Budget announcement, the e- Bill system will be implemented across all Central Ministries and Departments.
ii.This system will enhance transparency, efficiency and a faceless- paperless payment system.
iii.Under this system, Suppliers and contractors will be able to submit their claims online which can be tracked on a real-time basis.
Objective of the System:
- Provide convenience to all vendors/suppliers of the government to submit their bills/claims at anytime, from anywhere.
- Eliminate physical interface between suppliers and government officers.
- Enhance efficiency in processing of bills/claims.
- Reduce discretion in processing of bills through FIFO method.
Additional info:
i.Initially, the system will be rolled out in the 9 Pay and Accounting Units of 9 Ministries/Departments which includes, Ministry of Food Processing Industry, New and Renewable Energy, Home Affairs, Steel and Electronics and Information Technology.
ii.The e-Bill system will be rolled out in other Ministries/Departments in a phased manner in 2022-23
Short Film:
A short film on the CGA organisation showcasing the citizen-centric initiatives of the Civil Accounts Organisation like various payment modes initiated in Government, reforms initiated recently and use of the latest technology in the development and management of PFMS (Public Financial Management System) was screened.
- PFMS is a unified IT platform through which Government Payments including all (Direct Benefit Transfer) DBTs, non-tax receipts and accounting functions are performed.
Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS):
Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) is a professional accounting organization that aims to strengthen governance through excellence in public financial management.
The Departmentalisation of Union Accounts (Transfer of Personnel) Act, 1976 was enacted on 8th April 1976 and the act came into force with effect from 1st March 1976.
About Ministry of Finance:
Union Minister– Nirmala Sitharaman (RajyaSabha- Karnataka)
Minister of State– Dr Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad (Rajya sabha- Maharashtra); Pankaj Chaudhary (Constituency- Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh)
Controller General of Accounts– Deepak Das
Office of CGA– New Delhi, Delhi
Head of Organization of CGA- Sonali Singh
