New Delhi: Starting from the new financial year on April 1, the traditional practice of storing bulky files containing audit and accounting literature, along with extensive communications with the auditees, will become a thing of the past. The focus will shift towards digitization and paperless work, making it the new norm.

On March 31, Girish Chandra Murmu, Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), made an announcement regarding the full activation of One Indian Audit & Accounts Department One System (OIOS). 

OIOS is a web-based IT application that supports multiple languages, offline functionality, and has a mobile app. This will result in the complete digitalization of the audit process starting from April 1, 2023. The only exception would be the Defence Audit offices which would take some more time because of security issues.

The CAG of India acknowledged that implementing organizational changes, especially in the Indian Audit & Accounts Department (IAAD), which consisted of a workforce of approximately 25,000 people spread across around 150 audit offices throughout the country, was a challenging task. 

He emphasized that the establishment of functional help desks was a significant factor in the success of the change management process. He mentioned that 24 Senior Audit Officers/Assistant Audit Officers were appointed to offer training, address issues and provide support to various field offices.

According to Murmu, the process of digitization is transforming the entire nation and resulting in increased transparency, efficiency, convenience, and accessibility of governance for every individual. /BI/