Data will dictate history in future: PM

Underlining the importance of audits for good governance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that data is information in the 21st century and stated that in the future, history will be dictated by data.

Prime Minister Modi who inaugurated a statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) and attended the event to mark the first Audit Diwas in New Delhi said that in future, history will be seen and understood through data. Addressing the event, the Prime Minister said, “In ancient times, information was communicated through stories. History is made through stories. But today in the 21st-century data is information and in the coming times, our history will also be seen and understood through data. In the future, data will dictate the history.” He said for decades, the CAG had the identity as a liaison organization between government files and books.

Prime Minister said the government has made reforms to boost transparency and easy functioning. “Reforms like online applications for contactless customs, automatic renewals, faceless assessments and service delivery have ended the unnecessary interference of the government. I am glad that CAG is expediting the change, modernizing the processes. Today, advanced analytics tools, geo-spatial data and satellite imagery are being utilized,” he added.

Audit Diwas is celebrated to mark the historic origins of the institution of CAG and the contribution it has made to the governance, transparency and accountability over the past several years. Prime Minister Modi in a tweet had said: “Audit Diwas seeks to highlight the rich contributions of CAG to boost transparency and good governance.”

Pointing out the lapses during previous regimes, Prime Minister Modi said: “There was a time when the audit was seen with scepticism and fear. CAG versus government became the common mindset of our system. Sometimes officials used to think that CAG sees faults in everything. But today mindset has been changed. Today audit is considered an important part of value addition.”

“Earlier, due to the lack of transparency in the banking sector, various practices used to take place. As a result, the NPAs (Non-Performing Asset) of the banks kept increasing. You know very well the work done to brush the NPAs under the carpet earlier. But we presented the reality of the previous governments, the actual situation, honestly before the nation. We will be able to find out a solution only if we identify the problems,” he stated.