Reported by Daily.bhaskar.com on 23/07/12
Local fund audit bureau uses RTI Act as 'shield' - www.daily.bhaskar.com

Jaipur: The local fund audit directorate (LFAD) under the finance department is responsible for the annual audit of all panchayats, panchayat samitis, zila parishads, municipal corporations and councils and many important government bodies, but not a single audit report is available on its website.

Even a personal visit to LFAD cannot get a citizen final audit reports of past years. A request in writing addressed to the LFAD director was also turned down as he wanted application to be routed through the RTI Act.

Ironically, the RTI Act itself specifies that all reports, circulars and documents of any government office has to be publicly disclosed without the need for an application.

Sources say that the LFAD does not want to make its reports available easily, as audits are incomplete or done in connivance with the institutions being audited.

Once such irregularities come into public domain, there are chances that special audits are ordered, which could increase the workload of the directorate and expose its shortcomings.