By IANS
New Delhi : In a deft turn of phrase, Defence Minister A.K. Antony Tuesday maintained that the art of repeating history lies in benefiting from the wisdom gained from the past and not committing the same mistakes.
"Though there is nothing wrong in repeating history, the art lies in repeating it by benefiting from the wisdom gained from it and without committing the mistakes of the past," he said while presiding over the centenary celebrations of the defence accounts department here.
"The centenary celebrations are a…time to retrospect and at the same time, to look forward with courage, anticipation and hope," Antony added.
He also urged the armed forces and other government departments to "draw from the expertise and professional skills" defence accountants had gained over the past 100 years "for the efficient use of the budgetary allocations.
"I am certain that this will also expose our defence accounts personnel to new and diverse concepts and challenges in audits and accounts in other sectors," the minister added.
Noting that at the time of the country's independence in 1947, defence accountants handled a budget of less than Rs.2 billion and that this had today swelled almost 500 times to Rs.970 billion, Antony said: "Handling such a massive budget is a huge and an onerous responsibility.
"After all, defence expenditure constitutes the single largest item of expenditure after the payment of interest in the non-Plan segment of central government expenditure. I am sure the finance division will continue to show transparency and objectivity in discharging its functions," the minister added.
As part of the centenary celebrations, Antony also released a book titled "Smriti Sankalan" on the experiences of defence accounts department heads over the past 60 years.
He also released a two-volume set on proceedings of the International Seminar on Defence Finance and Economics organised last November by the department.
Speaking on the occasion, Defence Secretary Shekhar Dutt complimented the department for establishing a "close and comfortable relationship" with the ministry and the armed forces.
"This has helped streamline and codify various manuals and procedures," he said.