Institutions under Cooperation Department draw criticism for impeding CAG audit

Why in news

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) criticized the Department of Cooperation for allegedly obstructing a Subject Specific Compliance Audit (SSCA) of 16,393 cooperative societies.

Background

The CAG reported persistent resistance in obtaining records and a denial of access to the Integrated Cooperative Database Management System (ICDMS). The CAG recommended a centralized online platform for public access to information on registered cooperative societies.

Facts for Prelims

• FactThe Subject Specific Compliance Audit (SSCA) covered 16,393 cooperative societies.
• FactICDMS: The database system the Department of Cooperation allegedly denied access to during the audit.

For Mains

Q. Examine the role of the CAG in ensuring transparency in cooperative societies and discuss the institutional challenges in ensuring executive cooperation during audits.

Dimensions to cover in your answer

• Audit bottleneck: Lack of access to ICDMS database hinders verification of financial irregularities
• Transparency deficit: Absence of a centralized public platform for cooperative society records
• Accountability gap: Potential suppression of facts by executive departments during subject-specific audits

Keywords: Constitutional oversight · Audit transparency · Executive accountability · Cooperative governance · Public information

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