Page 42 - Informatics, April 2023

In the News

Jammu & Kashmir becomes the first State / Union Territory to launch

Online Statutory Audit of Government Departments

he Chief Secretary, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, IAS, launched an online
application for conducting statutory audits of the accounts of the
TJammu and Kashmir Government’s line departments on 23rd December
2022. This application is yet another step in the process of making financial
management in the UT of J&K more transparent, following closely behind
other NIC J&K initiatives such as Online Budgeting (BEAMS), e-Treasuries,
Online Billing and Clearance (JKPAYSYS), Government Receipt and Accounting
System (JK GRAS), and Jan Bhagidari (which puts the details of budget
sanctioned and the status of public works in the public domain). Dr. Mehta
praised the local Audit Department and the NIC J&K for creating this facility.
It was stated that it is an integrated single platform tool for accessing
financial information from government departments, with access to and use
of data from BEAMS / JK-PaySyS as an additional tool. CS, Jammu & Kashmir, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta launching Online Statutory Audit
It was also revealed that this web-based audit provides understandable Application
insights at all stages in an accessible and analytical manner. It aids in the
seamless mapping of both Auditor and Auditee, as well as the management According to the Chief Secretary, it will make the process easier and
of audit teams and the definition of audit schedules. Furthermore, it gener- more focused. He advised the department to maintain a healthy balance of
ates audit reports based on configurable report templates that are available post-audit and concurrent audit of accounts. The Chief Secretary stated that
in PDF and can be shared with users via email. the system would be improved in terms of dependability and productivity.
As previously stated, email-based alerts on regular update(s) are also sent He requested that the departmental officers distribute the new audit man-
to auditees for their information and necessary compliance. The online audit ual, which includes e-audit, to all offices so that they are aware of the new
platform enables auditing in accordance with the defined process. The soft- systems. The Chief Secretary also instructed them to connect it to eOffice so
ware also serves as a repository for audit-related records and is an effective that officers can view relevant reports and pending audit paras. He insisted
financial audit tool that significantly improves transparency and account- that this mechanism would ensure that the audit was more thorough and
ability. All audit-related communications must go through this system, which comprehensive even if the auditors did not physically visit the auditees.
will bring much-needed accountability.
-Mohd. Saleem Khan, Jammu & Kashmir

eTransport Project hosts successful Third Zonal Workshop in
Thiruvananthapuram

Transport Project showcased its new systems and services at the
Third Zonal Workshop, eTrans2023, held from 2nd to 3rd March 2023
ein Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The event was organised by the NIC
eTransport Central Team in collaboration with the Ministry of Road Transport
and Highways (MoRTH), Government of India and coordinated by the NIC
Kerala State Centre.
Hon’ble Minister for Road Transport, Motor Vehicles, Water Transport,
Government of Kerala, Shri Antony Raju, inaugurated the workshop in the
presence of several officials, including Shri Mohan Krishnan P. V., DDG & SIO
Kerala, Shri Pawan Kumar Joshi, DDG & HoG (eTransport), Shri S. Sreejith,
Transport Commissioner, and Shri Piyush Jain, Director, MoRTH.
The workshop aimed to increase awareness among various stakeholder
departments regarding the new systems and services developed in recent
years under the eParivahan platform. It was attended by the participants
from 12 States / UTs namely Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Goa, Daman Diu Hon’ble Minister for Road Transport, Shri Antony Raju, inaugurating the eTrans2023
Dadra Nagar Haveli, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, on 2nd March 2023 in presence of several senior officials and other dignitaries
Pondicherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and Kerala.
On the first day, the focus was on the new initiatives in Vahan, Sarathi, and suggestions. Doubts / issues raised by the Stakeholder Departments
eChallan, and PUCC modules of the eTransport Project. The second day were clarified by MoRTH and eTransport Team. The event concluded with a
concentrated on the eDAR / iRAD application. The NIC eTransport Team vote of thanks by Shri M Asir Edwin ASIO/DDG & HoD(eTransport, NIC Kerala).
demonstrated various features and functionalities in Vahan, Sarathi,
eChallan, PUCC, eDAR / iRAD, VLT&EAS, RVSF, and AFMS during the workshop.
Discussions and brainstorming sessions with state-level officers of User
Departments were held, which helped NIC understand their views, issues, -Ahamed Shaheer J., Kerala

42 informatics.nic.in April 2023