Judicious use of financial resources required to strengthen combat readiness of armed forces: Rajnath Singh

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday urged Defence Accounts Department to ensure judicious use of financial resources through quick and transparent decision-making as it is key to strengthening combat readiness of armed forces.

He was speaking at the Controllers’ Conference organised by Defence Accounts Department in New Delhi.

“The DAD handles the budget allocated to Ministry of Defence (MoD), which translates into pay and allowances of personnel, payment to pensioners, processing of financial advice cases for various procurements and processing of first & third party claims, apart from the other auxiliary activities, including internal audit function. In Union Budget 2022-23, MoD has been allocated a total budget of ₹5.25 lakh crore, including ₹1.19 lakh crore for pensions,” the defence ministry said.

The agenda points of the conference included Public Finance Management: Towards a system of faceless transactions; IFA System: An aid to effective decision making; Efficiency & Performance Audit: From Compliance to Assurance Framework; Improving Service Delivery; Challenges in Human Resource Management and Sustaining Major IT systems developed by the DAD.

Singh laid special emphasis on ensuring timely payments to beneficiaries, i.e., soldiers, pensioners and third parties. He hoped that the session on ‘Public Finance Management: Towards a system of faceless transactions’ will pave the way for transparency in defence financial transactions.

The minister stressed that domain expertise coupled with a sensitive understanding of client needs is essential for providing timely financial advice. He urged the controllers to function with the mindset of a collaborator and work for the benefit of both parties.

He called upon the DAD to develop its IT capabilities & financial knowledge, bolster the internal vigilance mechanism, and enhance the skills of its workforce to more efficiently discharge its duties.

“If there is a doubt in the working of any officer, it should be reviewed immediately. Complaints should be settled immediately. If grievances are pending, provision should be made for their weekly or monthly audit and action should be taken,” he said.