President for stern action against embezzlement of public accounts

President M Zillur Rahman Wednesday directed the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to take stern action against the individuals and organizations, those have been charged for embezzlement of public funds for ensuring accountability of public accounts, reports BSS. "Make sure that every single taka of the state is utilized properly," he said while speaking at the 38th Founding Anniversary of the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (OCAG) at its office in Kakrail in the city. The President urged the CAG to take proper measures for ensuring transparency and accountability of revenue and development expenditures. "Remember that people are the owner of public money, so the accounts of public money will have to be accountable to them," he said, adding, "It must be ensured that people aren't deprived." President Rahman said the present government is committed to ensuring transparency and accountability at all levels of the administration and it took stern stand against corruption. "It's our collective responsibility to make the programme successful," he said. The President urged all employees of the OCAG to show their sincerity and honesty during conducting audit of public accounts. "Its my expectation that all public employees will show the highest degree of responsibility in spending government money imbued with great spirit of patriotism," the President said. Adviser to the PM Dr Mashiur Rahman, chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Accounts Dr Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, CAG Ahmad Ataul Hakim, US Ambassador in Bangladesh James F Moriarty and Canadian Ambassador Robert McDougall also spoke on the occasion. Moriarty said the US government has provided support to the OCAG to strengthen its capacity as well as to make the common people aware of transparency and accountability of public accounts through involving civil society and media in its activities. "Citizens awareness about activities of audit will lead Bangladesh to the way of becoming a corruption-free country," he said. Earlier, the President inaugurated newly set up media centre of OCAG. The media centre was established in cooperation with USAID funded project Progati and CIDA funded project SCOPE. The media centre will remain open to journalists and members of public who wish to collect information and ask questions about audit issues.