Jebi Mather Opens All India PAC Conference in Keralam

"Keralam has rich tradition of protecting democratic values, respecting opposing views": Jebi Mather on All India PAC Conference

Thiruvananthapuram, November 3

Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the inaugural session of the two-day All-India Conference of Chairpersons of Public Accounts Committees of Parliament and State/UT Legislatures, Mather said the deliberations would provide a positive direction to parliamentary functioning.

"It is very delightful that this Public Accounts Committee National Conference is being held in Keralam. Keralam has a rich tradition of protecting democratic values, respecting opposing views, opposition thoughts, and concerns. So this will definitely help in making our systems better," she said.

Referring to the remarks made by Congress MP and Chairperson of the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC), KC Venugopal, Mather said the recommendations emerging from the conference should also be discussed in Parliament.

"As Public Accounts Committee Chairman KC Venugopal already said in his speech, what evolves here should be taken up and discussed in Parliament. So let us wait for the outcome, but surely it will give a positive direction and make our democracy stronger," she added.

Meanwhile, BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi also described the inaugural session as fruitful, highlighting the importance of proper auditing, administrative efficiency and accountability at all levels.

"Today we all gathered here for the national conference with chairpersons of various public accounts committees of the Parliament as well as the state legislative assemblies. And it was a very fruitful inaugural session. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla was here, and he inaugurated it along with the Chief Minister of Keralam. And of course KC Venugopal, the chairperson of the Lok Sabha PAC was here very much and other dignitaries were present from all the states. All the distinguished speakers spoke about the need for proper auditing, ensuring administrative efficiency, and seeing that accountability is there at all levels. And this is not just for examining the work of the executive; this is also for improving the system," she told ANI.

Congress MP and Parliamentary PAC Chairperson KC Venugopal had earlier called for strengthening the functioning of Public Accounts Committees, citing the growing scale of government expenditure across different sectors.

"I think this two-day meeting will be fruitful for the future committee's functioning. We need to strengthen our system a little more because now the expenditure is now huge in different areas. Therefore, there is a need of strengthen the PAC," Venugopal had said.

The two-day conference is being held on the theme, 'Audit, Accountability and Good Governance - The Evolving Role of the PAC'.

The conference was inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday in the presence of Keralam Chief Minister VD Satheesan, Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh, Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan and Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee of the Kerala Legislative Assembly KN Balagopal.

According to an official release from the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the deliberations will provide a platform for sharing experiences, exchanging best practices and exploring ways to strengthen the role of PACs in ensuring legislative oversight of public expenditure and promoting transparency, accountability and financial discipline in governance.

The conference is also expected to facilitate discussions on emerging challenges in public financial management, the evolving audit landscape and ways to enhance the effectiveness of legislative scrutiny.

Chairpersons and members of Public Accounts Committees of Parliament and State/UT Legislatures, along with other dignitaries, are participating in the conference.

The conference will conclude on Wednesday, November 4, with a valedictory session to be addressed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. The Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly and the Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament will also address the session.

— ANI