By IANS
New Delhi : Defence Minister A.K. Antony Monday called for optimal utilization of resources in defence spending to ensure "the best value for money".
To achieve this goal, "we must make cost effective investments and purchase decisions and make timely and correct payments for stores and services", he said at the ground breaking ceremony of the office of the Controller General of Defence Accounts here.
As internal financial advisers to the armed forces, the Defence Accounts Department "must undertake greater responsibilities and set an example for others in the services to follow", the minister maintained.
"You must ensure that every paisa is spent judiciously," he added.
Emphasising the role of internal audit, Antony said its best international practices must be studied, analysed and imbibed by the department.
According to the minister, "a major challenge" for the department was "to explore auditing through computers and to the maximum extent possible and not relying on paperwork".
In this context, he pointed out that the department "should achieve cent percent computer literacy within a fixed timeframe", and added: "Your mandate to render transparent, prompt and efficient pensionary services to nearly 21.59 lakh (2.15 million) ex-servicemen and other retired defence personnel is a major challenge facing you."
Thus, the Defence Accounts Department "must exhibit a high degree of responsiveness for the prompt redressal of grievances of its customers and ensure that the complaint redressal mechanism functions optimally", Antony maintained.
Calling for optimising human resource development to enhance all-round performance, the minister said: "Though financial resources are no doubt important in a department like yours, in the ultimate analysis, the quality of human resource is the most crucial factor."
In his welcome address, Controller General of Defence Accounts Jnan Prakash said the proposed office complex, spread over a six-acre area, had been designed as a state-of-the-art building with a perfect blend of aesthetics and architectural features.
The disabled-friendly building conforms to the latest environmental regulations and is compliant to seismic zone IV requirements. The project is to be completed within 24 months.