Mhathung Yanthan attends PAC conference in Keralam, discussing legislative oversight and public financial accountability
KOHIMA — Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA), Mhathung Yanthan, attended the two-day Conference of Chairpersons of Public Accounts Committees of Parliament and State/UT Legislatures held in Thiruvananthapuram, Keralam, on November 3 and the 4th.
According to an update, Yanthan was accompanied by the Secretary of the NLA and an officer from the PAC.
The conference, inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, was held on the theme “Audit, Accountability and Good Governance – The Evolving Role of the PAC”.
The conference brought together 25 PAC chairpersons, members of the Lok Sabha and State/UT PACs, and officials from 27 States to discuss ways to strengthen legislative oversight and ensure accountability in the utilisation of public funds.
During the conference, Birla released a souvenir featuring an article by Yanthan titled “The Public Accounts Committee: Strengthening Legislative Oversight for Better Governance – Reflections from Nagaland.”
The article highlighted the role of PACs in ensuring financial accountability, challenges faced by the Nagaland PAC and the need for time-bound examination of Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports, digital monitoring and capacity building.
Yanthan also participated in the plenary discussions, sharing his views on strengthening legislative oversight, timely submission of CAG audit reports to the State Legislature and ensuring accountability in public expenditure.
The conference unanimously adopted the ‘Keralam Resolution’, outlining measures to strengthen PACs across the country.
Key recommendations included introducing standardised timelines for government departments to submit Action Taken Notes on audit observations and PAC recommendations, and developing digital oversight systems such as the Audit Para Monitoring System (APMS) across all State and Union Territory PACs.
The resolution also called for at least three PAC sittings every month, constituting sub-committees to clear pending audit observations, strengthening PAC secretariats through capacity building and establishing a centralised digital portal for sharing best practices among committees.
It further emphasised stronger collaboration with the CAG through technology and forensic tools to identify high-risk areas and improve scrutiny of government schemes.
Addressing the valedictory session, Birla described the resolution as a forward-looking roadmap and called for its implementation. Lok Sabha PAC Chairman KC Venugopal stressed that every rupee of public money should translate into tangible outcomes for beneficiaries.
Yanthan said the conference was fruitful for Nagaland, adding that the learnings on digital monitoring and time-bound disposal of audit observations would help strengthen the functioning of the PAC in the NLA.