HYDERABAD, JANUARY 19, 2026: A three-day National Workshop for Directorates of Local Fund Audit (LFA) and State Audit Departments commenced today at the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR), Hyderabad. The workshop is being organised by the Centre for Internal Audit in Rural Development (CIARD), NIRDPR, in collaboration with the International Centre for Audit of Local Governance (iCAL), under the guidance of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).
Scheduled to be held from 19 to 21 January 2026, the workshop aims to strengthen the capacities of State and Local Fund Audit Departments and enhance the effectiveness, uniformity and impact of audit systems in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban Local Bodies across the country.
The inaugural session began with Deep Prajwalan, followed by a welcome address by Dr. G. Narendra Kumar, Director General, National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj. In his address, the Director General emphasised the critical role of Local Fund Auditors and State Audit Departments in ensuring accountability, transparency and financial discipline in local governments, particularly in the context of increased fund flows under the Fifteenth Finance Commission. He highlighted the need to address common audit challenges through capacity building, cross-State learning and the adoption of IT, Artificial Intelligence and Computer Assisted Audit Techniques (CAATs), and reaffirmed NIRDPR’s commitment to supporting States in strengthening local government audit systems.
The inaugural address was delivered by Shri Manish Kumar, Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General (Local Government Audit), who highlighted the constitutional mandate of audit in PRIs and Urban Local Bodies and underscored the critical role of Local Fund Audit in ensuring transparency and accountability in local governance. Shri Sushil Kumar Lohani, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, addressed the participants and stressed the importance of robust audit mechanisms in strengthening democratic decentralisation and fiscal discipline in local governments. Shri H. K. Dharmadarshi, Director General, International Centre for Audit of Local Governance, underlined the significance of the workshop in building professional capacities of State and Local Fund Audit institutions and in promoting uniform, technology-enabled and outcome-oriented audit practices in local governance across the country.
Introducing the workshop, Dr U. Hemantha Kumar, Head (In-charge), Centre for Internal Audit in Rural Development and Course Director, stated that the programme aims to consolidate learnings from earlier workshops, examine State-specific best practices and challenges, and develop actionable strategies to strengthen PRI audit systems nationwide. He informed that the workshop features plenary sessions and thematic group discussions on local government accounting, standardisation of audit processes, settlement of audit observations, and the use of technology and innovative tools in audit.
Principal Accountant Generals and Accountant Generals from various States, along with senior officials and experts from the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, NIRDPR and iCAL, and Directors/Representatives of State Audit and Local Fund Audit Departments, are participating in the workshop. The deliberations are expected to culminate in concrete recommendations to strengthen the institutional framework and professional capacity of Local Fund Audit, thereby contributing to improved local governance in the country.
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