Para 6.1.15 — MSO (Audit)
Original Rule Text
6.1.15 Availability of adequate information/data is a vital prerequisite factor for preparation of the Audit Plan. A comprehensive data bank and documentation covering reports of various committees, Study Reports, Plan/Budget documents, newspaper and journal clippings, etc. should therefore be carefully built up in every Audit office under functional heads or subject-wise. A portfolio in respect of each scheme and programme, which is susceptible of performance appraisal, should also be maintained. It should inter alia contain complete details of the programme, its objectives, financial and physical targets, performance standards, financial ratios, time schedules for the different components of the programme, etc. Various documents of relevance brought out by the Planning Commission or Planning Department of the State Government, the National Statistical Organization and other institutions of national importance should be made use of in this context. These portfolios should provide the necessary basic data and
information for conducting meaningful audit. Before starting actual audit, the scheme document should be scrutinised carefully to see, to the extent possible, whether the targets fixed are realistic, and whether adequate inputs--financial, material and organisational--have been provided. Preliminary action should be initiated right then to obtain all necessary and wanting information.
- Guidelines/Instructions to Audit Parties
What This Means
Every audit office must build a comprehensive data bank organized by functional or subject areas, containing committee reports, study reports, budget documents, media clippings, and other relevant material. For government schemes and programmes suitable for performance audit, separate portfolios must be maintained with complete details including objectives, targets, performance standards, financial ratios, and timelines. Before starting any audit, the scheme documentation should be scrutinized for realistic targets and adequate resource provision.
This explanation was generated with AI assistance for educational purposes. Always refer to the official gazette notification for authoritative text.
Key Points
- 1A comprehensive data bank must be built in every audit office under functional or subject heads
- 2Should include committee reports, study reports, Plan/Budget documents, and media clippings
- 3Separate portfolios for each scheme and programme susceptible to performance appraisal
- 4Portfolios must contain objectives, targets, performance standards, financial ratios, and timelines
- 5Planning Commission, state planning department, and NSO documents should be utilized
- 6Scheme documents must be scrutinized for realistic targets and adequate inputs before audit begins
Practical Example
Before conducting a performance audit of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, the audit team reviews the portfolio file containing the scheme document, financial targets for the last five years, physical targets (meals per school per day), coverage data from NSO, and newspaper reports about quality complaints. The pre-audit scrutiny reveals that the approved budget does not account for kitchen infrastructure costs, a finding that becomes a key audit observation.
This explanation was generated with AI assistance for educational purposes. Always refer to the official gazette notification for authoritative text.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is pre-audit scrutiny of scheme documents important?▼
Who is responsible for maintaining the data bank?▼
How do media clippings help in audit planning?▼
This explanation was generated with AI assistance for educational purposes. Always refer to the official gazette notification for authoritative text.