1. Background

The institution of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India traces its origins to the establishment of the Auditor General under the Government of India Act, 1858. On 16 November 1860, Sir Edward Drummond took charge as the first Auditor General. With the adoption of the Constitution of India in 1950, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India was established as a constitutional authority, and the role of the institution has since evolved significantly in strengthening public accountability and governance.

To commemorate the historic origin of SAI India and its contribution to transparency, accountability and good governance over the past 166 years, it was decided in 2021 to celebrate 16 November every year as “Audit Diwas”. The 5th Audit Diwas was celebrated at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi and was marked by the following activities:

2. Inaugural Address by Hon’ble Vice President of India

The Hon’ble Vice President of India, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, inaugurated the Audit Diwas 2025 celebrations. In his address, he emphasised the evolving role of audit as a forward-looking instrument of reform, foresight and innovation, moving beyond its traditional retrospective approach. He highlighted the importance of audit in strengthening executive accountability and contributing to holistic national development.

The Hon’ble Vice President commended the initiatives undertaken by the CAG’s organisation in capacity building through collaboration with academic and professional institutions, and expressed confidence in its role as a trusted partner in achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. He also acknowledged the organisation’s contributions in the international auditing domain, including its leadership in ASOSAI and participation in INTOSAI, and its role in setting benchmarks for ethical, transparent and technology-enabled auditing.

In his address, the C&AG of India, Shri K. Sanjay Murthy, reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to strengthening public accountability through continuous reform, technological innovation and knowledge sharing. He outlined four key pillars guiding the institution’s transformation—stakeholder engagement, digital transformation, alignment with Viksit Bharat 2047, and capacity building.

3. Release of Compendium of Good Practices– The Catalysts… In Pursuit of Good Governance

The C&AG of India continues to play a crucial role as a catalyst for good governance by promoting transparency, accountability, and the efficient utilization of public resources. The CAG’s organization has undertaken several initiatives that go beyond conventional methods of public auditing and accounting. Embracing innovation, the organization has adopted new auditing methodologies, integrated modern tools and techniques, and significantly advanced in IT-driven practices, aligning with the broader digital transformation of government operations. These progressive efforts and best practices were compiled into the fourth edition of the Compendium titled ‘The Catalysts… in Pursuit of Good Governance’. This edition showcases a range of initiatives leveraging cutting-edge technologies, with a strong emphasis on digital tools that enhance audit. The Compendium was released during Audit Diwas by Shri K. Sanjay Murthy, C&AG of India, along with Shri Subir Mallick, Dy. CAG (Defence) and Shri K.S. Subramanian, DAI (HR, IR, Coord. & Legal).

National Online Essay Writing Competition 2025

The National Online Essay Writing Competition 2025 was organised under the aegis of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India through the MYBharat Portal, open to youth aged 15–29 years across the country. The competition was conducted in a structured two-stage process comprising a Screening Quiz, in which more than 54,000 participants took part, followed by the Essay Submission Round, for which 15,000 participants were shortlisted based on their performance.

The Essay Competition was conducted in both English and Hindi and the topics of the essays were as follows:

“Role of CAG in a Digital India”

“डिजिटल इंडिया में भारत के नियंत्रक और महालेखापरीक्षक (सीएजी) की भूमिका”

Essay submissions were evaluated by a panel of experts to ensure a thorough and fair assessment. Following the evaluation process, three winners in each language category: English and Hindi, were declared as follows:

Category: Hindi

Category: English

The winners were felicitated with cash prizes of ₹50,000 (First prize), ₹40,000 (Second prize), ₹30,000 (Third prize), along with certificates, by the C & AG of India on Audit Diwas 2025.

5. Awards for Innovation and Excellence in Public Auditing and Accounting- 2025

The C&AG of India instituted the scheme for ‘CAG’s Awards for Innovation and Excellence in Public Auditing and Accounting’ in the year 2021 to recognize and reward the extraordinary and innovative work done by the officers and staff of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department in the areas of public auditing, accounting, entitlement and support functions.

Commitment to innovation and excellence are the key drivers in taking any organization forward. The CAG’s Awards seek to recognize team excellence as well as all round qualitative performance from an organizational perspective. CAG’s Awards for the year 2025 have been conferred in the following two categories:

• Category I- CAG’s Awards for Innovation and Excellence in Public Auditing and Accounting
• Category II- CAG’s Awards for ‘Office of the Year’

A dedicated Audit Diwas portal was developed to provide a unified platform for field offices and functional wings, facilitating the submission, compilation and evaluation of applications for both award categories.

5.1 Category I – CAG’s Awards for innovation and excellence in public auditing and accounting

The awards were given to teams involved in conceiving and executing an innovative, extraordinary and impactful initiative. The scope of the Award includes innovation and excellence to promote new and creative ideas in the functioning of the Organisation in the following six areas -

• Auditing processes, Audit Reports and other audit products
• Accounting processes and financial reporting
• Entitlement processes and service delivery
• Administrative efficiency
• Knowledge & Capacity Building
• Any other area that contributes to achievement of the overall mission of the C&AG of India.

This year, a total of 67 eligible entries were received from various field offices of SAI India and wings in the office of the C&AG of India. Five teams were declared as the winners of the Awards, which were conferred by the C&AG of India on Audit Diwas 2025. The awarded entries have been selected through a meticulous process involving rigorous scrutiny and short listing of the entries by an Expert Committee, followed by an independent assessment of the shortlisted proposals by an Empowered Committee.

The award-winning projects (in alphabetical order) are as follows:

5.2 Category II- CAG’s Awards for Office of the Year

This Award seeks to recognize offices working in the spheres of Accounting, Auditing and Knowledge & Capacity Building, based on performance during the year 2024-25 as well as improvement over the previous year (2023-24).

The selection of ‘Office of the Year’ was done through a process of objective assessment on certain prescribed parameters in administrative and functional areas of work. Each office performed a self-assessment for the laid down parameters and awarded scores. The self-assessments have undergone a rigorous process of verification, first by the functional wings and thereafter, independently by the Inspection and Peer Review wing of the C&AG office.

CAG’s Awards were given under four categories of field offices viz., Accounts & Entitlement, State Audit, Union Audit and Capacity Building & Knowledge Institutes/Centres.

• The ‘Office of the Year’ in these categories were conferred on six offices as under:
• Union Audit Offices - Office of the Principal Director of Audit (North Western Railway), Jaipur
• State Audit Offices - Office of the Principal Accountant General (Audit – I), Maharashtra
• Accounts & Entitlement offices - Office of the Accountant General (A&E), Kerala & Office of the Accountant General (A&E), Haryana
• Capacity Building and Knowledge Institutes/Centres - Regional Capacity Building and Knowledge Institute, Jaipur & Regional Capacity Building and Knowledge Centre, Bengaluru

6. Other Institutional Initiatives

The programme also included the launch of key digital platforms, namely the “CAG Connect” Portal, the “CAG HR Management System” Portal and the “CAG Learning & Knowledge” Portal, reflecting the Department’s continued focus on digital transformation and capacity building.

7. Valediction Ceremony of Officer Trainees (2023 Batch)

The Valediction Ceremony of the 2023 batch of Officer Trainees of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service was held as part of the Audit Diwas programme. A video presentation by the National Academy of Audit and Accounts (NAAA), Shimla, provided a snapshot of the Academy’s training ecosystem and its role in equipping officer trainees with the knowledge, professional abilities and institutional values required for public service.

The following medals were awarded for outstanding performance:

8. Technology and AI Initiatives

8.1 A presentation on digital transformation of audit systems was delivered by the Chief Technology Officer, Shri B. K. Mohanty. A demonstration of Large Language Model (LLM) was also conducted, showcasing the potential of artificial intelligence in enhancing audit processes.

8.2 AI Champions – Presentations

As part of capacity-building initiatives, the AI Champions Programme was undertaken in collaboration with iCED Jaipur, the Centre for Data Management and Analytics and the Wadhwani Centre for Government Digital Transformation. Under this programme, five AI Champions presented their work, showcasing innovative applications of Artificial Intelligence in audit across diverse domains.

The details of the five AI Champions and their presentations are as follows:

The programme concluded with a Vote of Thanks delivered by the Ms. Swati Pandey, Principal Director (Personnel, SMU & Coord.).