The 6th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Supreme Audit Institutes (SCO SAI) Leaders’ meeting was held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (UP) from February 6 to 8, 2023.
- Discussions were held at the SCO SAI Leaders’ meeting led by Girish Chandra Murmu, Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) India, under the theme of “Integrating Emerging Technologies in Audit” with focus on Artificial Intelligence and Cyber-security.
- Participants: 30 delegates from the SCO SAIs of India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and SCO Secretariat have participated in the meeting.
- Anandiben Patel, Governor of UP, inaugurated the meeting. The conference restated SAIs commitment to work for achieving better audit results and improve the depth, accuracy, and timeliness of the audit products.
Note – The SCO SAI Leader’s next meeting was decided to be held in Tajikistan in 2025.
–MoUs Signed with SAIs of Kazakhstan and Tajikistan
On the sidelines of the SCO SAI Leader’s meeting, on 13 February 2023, Girish Chandra Murmu signed 2 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with SAIs of Kazakhstan and Tajikistan to strengthen cooperation and exchange of expertise in the field of auditing.
The MoU with SAI Tajikistan:
- It was signed by Karakhon Chillazoda, Chairman, Accounts Chamber of the Republic of Tajikistan.
- They have agreed to explore means of capacity development, support and cooperation on areas that are mutually beneficial for both nations.
- The MoU will improve both the nation’s institution’s professional capacity and methodologies in the field of audit.
The MoU with SAI Kazakhstan: It was signed with the Chairperson of the Supreme Audit Chamber of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Natalya Godunova.
Additional Info: The 8th Foreign Office Consultations (FoC) between India and Kazakhstan was held in February 2023, and reviewed the bilateral cooperation within the framework of their Strategic Partnership.
-Auditing Local Bodies became vital as India targets $5 trillion economy
Under the SCO SAI Leader’s meeting, Girish Chandra Murmu stressed the need for proper auditing of the country’s local bodies as India is aiming to achieve the $5 trillion economy by 2025.
- Backdrop: The audit undertaken by the CAG in 2022 found serious discrepancies in the urban local bodies of Chattisgarh.
- He mentioned credible accounting as a key requirement under the expanded use of technology and digital payments along with upgradation of existing data analysis tools.
- To strengthen auditing systems, CAG has internally started using the One IAAD (Indian Audit & Accounts Department) One System (OIOS) – electronic data analysis mechanism – as a pilot project.
SAI20:
i.The SAI20 is a Engagement Group of G20 and it was established in 2022 during Indonesia’s Presidency of the G20.
ii.CAG of India has taken over the chairmanship of SAI20, with India assuming the G20 presidency on December 1, 2022.
iii.Thus now the presidency of SAI20 was handed over to SAI India from SAI Indonesia.
iv.The first and second session of the SAI20 was scheduled to be held in Guwahati, Assam and Goa in March and June 2023 respectively.
Note – India holds the Presidency of the G20 from 1 December 2022 to 30 November 2023.
Recent Related News:
The Prime Minister (PM) of India Narendra Modi paid an official visit to Bali, Indonesia from November 14-16, 2022 to attend the 17th G20 (Group of twenty) Summit. He was invited by the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo.
The summit was held under the Indonesian Presidency on the theme of ‘Recover Together, Recover Stronger’.
About Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO):
Headquarters – Beijing, China
Establishment – 15 June 2001
Secretary-General – Zhang Ming
