Indian Civil Accounts Service

Indian Civil Accounts Service

Indian Civil Accounts Service
Service Overview
Abbreviation ICAS
Formed 1976
Country  India
Training Ground National Institute of Financial Management, Faridabad

Institute of Government Accounts and Finance, New Delhi
Controlling Authority Ministry of Finance, Government of India
Legal Personality Governmental
General Nature Accounting
Service Chief
Controller General of Accounts smt.ARCHANA NIGAM
Head of the All India Civil Services
Current Cabinet Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha, IAS

The Indian Civil Accounts Service(ICAS)(Hindi: भारतीय सिविल लेखा सेवा Bharatiya Civil Lekha Seva ) is one of the Civil Services of India ("Group A"). ICAS functions under the Department of Expenditure in the Union Ministry of Finance. The service was created consequent to the Departmentalisation in 1976 with the purpose of separating Auditing and Accounting functions of the Union Government. The initial intake into the ICAS was by deputing and transferring the personnel from Indian Audit and Accounts Department. Since 1977, direct recruits to ICAS are selected from the Civil Services Examination conducted by Union Public Service Commission, through which recruitment to all other Central Civil Services is made.

Profile

Indian Civil Accounts Organisation performs a key role in delivery of financial management services for the Government of India. The organisation provides payment services, supports the tax collection system, performs government wide accounting, financial reporting functions, preparation of budget estimates and carries out Internal Audit in civil ministries of the Union Government. Controller General of Accounts (CGA) in Ministry of Finance heads the organisation and is responsible for administering this system. The vast expertise available with the ICAS is utilised by the government at various levels of decision making as well as by International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a number of countries for advising on financial management and accounting functions.

This service has sanctioned cadre strength of 226 officers who are supported by around 9000 employees professionally qualified in government accounting system.

Training

Officers of ICAS are trained in three stages. For the first 10 months, they are trained at National Institute of Financial Management (NIFM), Faridabad along with officers of Indian Defence Accounts Services, Indian Postal-Telecom Accounts and Finance Services. NIFM provides ICAS officers Post Graduate Diploma in Public Financial Management. During NIFM training, they are also taken abroad for a foreign country exposure. In 2011, it was Manchester and in 2012, Malaysia and Singapore and in 2013, University of California,USA.

After NIFM, training office of CGA attaches ICAS officers to the Institute of Government Accounts and Finance [INGAF]. In their third stage of training, ICAS officers are sent for On-The-Job-Training (OJT) from INGAF. Founded in 1992, INGAF is defined by its excellence in the field of public policy, finance, audit and management. Its programs attract professionals from not only the Central Government, but the state governments and union territories, public sector undertakings and autonomous bodies and banks. Its main campus is located in the heart of the national capital - Delhi, adjacent to the premier Jawaharlal Nehru University. INGAF has three regional training centres at Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, equipped with multi-media lecture theatres and computing and information technology services. Its faculty is drawn from a committed team of experienced professionals, blending leading edge practices with rigorous academic analysis. It has also fostered partnerships with institutes of eminence for joint initiatives at curriculum development, academic research and training.

Professional Programs

INGAF conducts more than 300 intensive professional programs every year aimed at senior and middle level of management in the Civil Accounts organization and other interested central organizations, autonomous bodies, banking institutions, state governments and union territories. It conducts training at the induction and entry level, together with professional skill up-gradation at the middle and senior management levels covering about 5000 participants every year.

International Programs

INGAF conducts regular customized programs on different aspects of Information Technology, Internal Audit, and Public Financial Management for countries in the SAARC region. It has been proactive in addressing the training needs of the member countries of the Association of Government Accounts Organisations of Asia (AGAOA) through exchange of ideas, and conducting of study programs blending best practices with a strategic understanding of the issues involved in managing change. INGAF also conducts programs for member-countries of the Indian Technical & Economic Cooperation [ITEC] and Special Commonwealth Assistance for Africa [SCAAP] consortium. Its current global footprint extends to well over a 100 countries in the East European, African, Middle Eastern, Latin American, and Asian regions.

Secretariat of AGAOA

Association of Government Accounts Organisations of Asia (AGAOA) was formed in February 2004 to promote professional understanding and technical cooperation among its members in the areas of government accounts and finance to ensure transparency, accountability and good governance. Financial Comptroller General, Nepal is the current chairperson and Sri Lanka is the treasurer of AGAOA. INGAF is the secretariat of AGAOA since November 2007. INGAF was accorded the status of a premier training institute of the region and designated as the Regional Resource & Training Centre for AGAOA countries.

Organisational Structure

Indian Civil Accounts Organisation is headed by Controller General of Accounts (CGA) in the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance. CGA as the central accounting and reporting agency for Government of India and is assisted by officers of Indian Civil Accounts Service. As per the Departmentalised accounting arrangements in government, operational responsibility for accounting, reporting and internal audit function in civil ministries is with the ICAS officers. These units are headed by the Principal Chief Controller of Accounts (Pr. CCA), Chief Controller of Accounts (CCA) or a Controller of Accounts (CA) in the respective ministries. Under the overall supervision of CGA, they assist the Secretary of the Ministry who is the chief accounting authority in the ministry. The Pr.CCAs / CCAs / CAs discharge their duties and responsibilities through the Principal Accounts Office (Pr. AO) at Ministry's headquarters and Pay and Accounts Offices (PAOs) at the field formation level. There are currently 358 PAOs located at 87 stations across the country.

Administration

The cadre management of Group 'A' officers of the Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) vests with the Controller General of Accounts. It covers the entire gamut of personnel management of ICAS officers including their recruitment, transfers, promotions, training, both within the country as well as abroad, and periodical reviews of cadre strength and distribution.

The respective Chief Controller/ Controller of Accounts controls the Group 'C' & 'D' staff of various Civil Accounts Units. However, a combined seniority list of all the employees within these grades is maintained by the Controller General of Accounts for effecting promotions.

Initiatives

Central Plan Scheme Monitoring System (CPSMS) - Now Public Financial Management System (PFMS).

The Central Plan Scheme Monitoring System (CPSMS) is a Central Sector Plan Scheme of the Planning Commission which is being implemented by the Office of Controller General of Accounts in partnership with National Informatics Centre. The scheme has established a common transaction-based on-line fund management and payment system and MIS for the Plan Schemes of Government of India. The platform has now been extended to State Governments for effecting payments of plan funds received directly at the State Treasuries. CPSMS has been envisaged as a comprehensive expenditure tracking system for central plan schemes that apart from enhancing transparency and accountability will have far reaching implications for public financial management in the country.

Government e-Payment Gateway (GePG)

The Government e-Payment Gateway (GePG) is envisaged to provide a payment gateway for the Civil Ministries and departments with the specific objective of leveraging the existing IT capabilities of the Core Banking Systems and application software functionalities of the CGA's organisation towards the development of an integrated payment and accounting system for all levels of usage with seamless interface and data communication. This would result in the elimination of physical cheque processing system and traditional issues associated with it, which would ensure major cost savings for the department by greatly enhancing the overall payment processing efficiency; Online reverse file (payment scroll) giving MIS on unique e-Authorization ID for all e-payment fund transfers; Online auto-reconciliation to facilitate major savings in time and efforts and speed up the compilation of accounting processes; and Ensuring a secure single point data capture of transaction data thereby eliminating duplication of work and data inconsistency.

E-Lekha

The Core Accounting Solution (CAS) would provide an accounting software solution for the Civil Accounts Organization with the specific objective of leveraging the existing IT capability and application software functionalities for developing an integrated accounting system for all levels of usage with seamless interface and data communication; Providing a structured plan for connectivity issues linking, the PAOs with PrAOs, CGA and external entities wherever possible; Minimizing the transaction costs and reduce cheque float time by adopting electronic payment systems and Ensuring a secure single point data capture of transaction data thereby eliminating duplication of work and data inconsistency.

E-Payment

The e-payment system developed is a fully secured web based system of electronic payment services which introduces transparency in government payment system.

COMPACT (Computer Accounting) transaction processing application that covers the entire business process for pay and accounting units.

I-MAS

(Integrated Mission Accounting System) for embassies and missions under Ministry of External Affairs. I-MAS has not only ensured a standardized reporting system, but has also converted accounting data into meaningful and useful information. Burden on Diplomatic Bags has also reduced, since Cash Accounts from the Missions / Posts are coming electronically to the Ministry.

RAMS (Revenue Accounting Management Software) for accounting and reporting of direct tax collections.

EASIEST (Electronic Accounting System in Central Excise and Service Tax) and Electronic Accounting Solution for e-Receipts (EASeR) for accounting and reporting of indirect taxes.

PARAS (Pension Authorized Retrieval Accounting System) for central processing of post-retirement social security payments for government employees.

IDMS (Internal Debt Monitoring Software) and an application for monitoring of Loans, Grants and Investments (LGI) for Ministry of Finance.

Rahat Lekha System To ensure hassle free disbursement of Ex-Gratia to the millions of Bhopal Gas Victims or to their legal heirs by providing inclusive solutions to all the related activities from generation of sanction in the tribunals, preparation of bill, pre-check and generation of list of payees in PAO for transfer of the share of Ex-Gratia to the bank accounts of the victim / claimants.

E-Samarth extension of web-based utility for management of General Provident Fund Account of government employees in Ministries / Departments.

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