Goa to host 3-day meet of audit institutions of G20 countries; CAG Murmu to deliver inaugural address

Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India Girish Chandra Murmu will deliver the inaugural address for the three-day conference of the Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI) of G20 countries, which begins in Goa on Monday, an official said.

Murmu is the chair of the SAI20 engagement group under India's G20 presidency, a government spokesperson said. “The SAI20 summit will take place in Goa from June 12 to 14. CAG Girish Chandra Murmu will deliver the inaugural speech on June 12,” the official said.

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Delegates from SAI20, guest SAIs, invited SAIs, international organisations, engagement groups and other invitees will attend the summit, he said. SAIs of Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Nigeria, Oman, Spain, UAE, Morocco and Poland will be participating in-person, he said. “Under the guiding philosophy for India's Presidency of G20, Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam, i.e. 'one earth, one family, and One Future', CAG had proposed the collaboration of SAI20 engagement group on two priority areas — blue economy and responsible artificial intelligence (AI),” the spokesman said.

Blue economy is the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of our ecosystem, he said. With AI making greater inroads into governance, SAIs must inevitably prepare themselves for auditing AI-based governance systems, he said.

SAIs will look for opportunities to adopt AI into their audit techniques to increase their effectiveness, the official said. “Importantly, consensus will be derived on the role and responsibilities of SAI20 engagement group, in the times to come, in fostering accountability in governance and strategically partnering with the governments to respond to global challenges,” he said.