“We are in the final stage of developing the uniform software to be used in government offices. We hope the software will curb existing discrepancy in book-keeping practice at government offices,” said Arjun Pokharel, joint secretary at the Financial Comptroller General Office (FCGO), during a two-day training program on ´Public Financial Management and Enhancing Responsibility´ that concluded on Saturday.[break]
The program was jointly organized by the Society of Economic Journalists Nepal (SEJON) and Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) secretariat on Friday and Saturday.
Pokharel said the system would be initially introduced at the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and its offices as pilot project. “We will gradually roll out the system in all 4,000 government offices throughout the country,” he informed.
Similarly, the government is also introducing Nepal Public Sector Accounting Standard (NPSAS)--an international accounting standard--in government establishments from mid-July in a bid to upgrade book-keeping practice.
“NPSAS and CGAS will be compatible with each other and will complement each other,” Pokharel said presenting a working paper on ´The Role of FCGO´.
The FCGO is introducing NPSAS as a pilot project in the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, and the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare (MoCSW).
PEFA coordinator Rajendra Bajracharya presented a working paper on Nepali Budgetary System and Babu Ram Subedi, deputy financial comptroller general, discussed the role of Public Financial Management (PFM) Architecture.
Similarly, SEJON founding president Prateek Pradhan made a presentation on the role of journalists in public financial accountability while Ghanashyam Parajuli, director of the Office of Auditor General (OAG), talked about external scrutiny and auditing in Nepal. Around 30 economic journalists from different media organizations had participated in the training program.
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