CAG conscience keeper of government: Pranab Mukherjee

The office of Comptroller and Auditor General, which hogged limelight for coming up with presumptive loss figures in 2G, CWG and Coal blocks allocation scams, was today termed by President Pranab Mukherjee as the "conscience keeper" of the government.

Mukherjee also said the job of CAG officers is to act like watchdog of the government.

He was addressing a group of 20 Officer Trainees of Indian Audit and Account Service including two Officer Trainees from Royal Audit Authority of Bhutan at Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

"He told the probationers that their organisation is the government's conscience keeper and their job is to serve as the watchdog of the government", a statement from Rashtrapati Bhavan said.

Mukherjee said the probationers have joined a department whose history goes back to more than 150 years.

In 1857, the General Department of Accounts was created and many decades later, the Department has grown and strengthened its position in the governance framework in the country, he said.