Every rupee of public money should be accounted

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla today called upon the Public Accounts Committees (PACs) of Parliament and State Legislatures to strengthen their role as guardians of public money, emphasising that every rupee drawn from the public exchequer must be properly accounted for and utilised fully for the purpose for which it was sanctioned. He said that transparency and accountability are the cornerstones of democracy and that the ultimate measure of public expenditure must be the positive difference it makes to the lives of ordinary citizens.

Inaugurating the Conference of Chairpersons of Public Accounts Committees of Parliament and State Legislatures in Thiruvananthapuram, Shri Birla said that the PAC is a vital institution of parliamentary democracy, entrusted with the responsibility of examining public expenditure, ensuring financial discipline and holding the Executive accountable.

Expressing concern over audit observations remaining unresolved for 10, 15 or even 20 years, Shri Birla said that such prolonged pendency raises serious questions about the effectiveness of the system. He called for a concrete, systematic and time-bound action plan to ensure that audit observations and the action arising from them are addressed without undue delay.

Lok Sabha Speaker noted that Members may belong to different political parties, hold different ideologies and have differing views on policies and governance; however, when it comes to safeguarding public money, their responsibility is shared.

The Inaugural Session was graced and addressed by the Chief Minister of Keralam V. D. Satheesan,; Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Harivansh; Chairman, Public Accounts Committee, Lok Sabha, K. C. Venugopal; Speaker, Keralam Legislative Assembly, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, and Chairperson, PAC of Keralam Legislative Assembly, K. N. Balagopal. The Session was attended by Chairpersons and Members of Public Accounts Committees of State Legislatures, and other distinguished dignitaries.

On this occasion, Public Accounts Committee Conference Souvenir 2026 was also released.(UPDATED ON 3RD NOEMBER 2026)