The Hindu : PROOF to bring accountability and transparency in BMP

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 05, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore

PROOF to bring accountability and transparency in BMP

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE July 4. For greater financial accountability and transparency in the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP), four City-based non-government organisations launched a 10-month campaign called ``Public Record of Operations and Finance'' (PROOF) here on Thursday.

Through the campaign, the NGOs will convince the Mahanagara Palike to come out with quarterly financial statements and performance audits along the lines of the private sector. This way, the citizens and various stakeholders will get to know the civic body's financial performance every quarter.

The four NGOs, the Centre for Budget and Policy Studies, the Public Affairs Centre, VOICES and Janaagraha, have come together to build confidence in the Government through PROOF. The campaign will put in place a systematic structure of Government performance reporting along the lines of the private sector, according to the representatives of the four NGOs.

Addressing presspersons, Janaagraha Campaign Coordinator, Ramesh Ramanathan, said disclosure, debate, dialogue and discussion between citizens and Government were the main contents of PROOF.

``While the PROOF document will gradually become more standardised, a framework of performance information will be gathered in three crucial areas of financial statements, performance indicators and management discussion and analysis,'' he said.

Mr. Ramanathan, who made a presentation on the campaign, said the financial statements of an institution, including revenue and expenditure statement, as compared to the original budget figures would be scrutinised at the end of every quarter. An indicative balance sheet with detailed information about current and long-term assets and short and long-term liabilities, besides performance indicators, would be analysed, he said.

Consequently, the Mahanagara Palike would have four quarterly review opportunities. These would take the shape of public debates and discussions, the first of which would be held in the first week of August, he said.

Each review by itself would serve as an opportunity to bring financial accountability and performance into the public sphere. These reviews were catalysts in the larger process of bringing the Government and public together. ``In practical terms, each review will act as a bench mark and provide the basis to develop, reshape and accelerate other mechanisms of analysis and participation,'' he added.

The Chairman of the Mahanagara Palike's Standing Committee on Taxation and Finance, N.L.Narendra Babu, endorsed the PROOF campaign and said the Mahanagara Palike would come out with its first quarterly statement by August.

The campaign was in tune with the Government's legislation on ``Right to Information'' and had been endorsed by the Chief Minister, S.M.Krishna.

The Chief Executive Officer of Infosys, Nandan Nilekani, the former Comptroller and Auditor General of India, C.G.Somiah, the Finance Secretary to Government, Chiranjiv Singh, had approved the campaign, he added.

Ashish Sen, Director of VOICES, Vinod Vyasulu from the Centre for Budget and Policy Studies, and Suresh Balakrishna from Public Affairs Centre were present.

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