The Directorate of Municipal Affairs is holding a two-day training programme on Financial Transparency and Accountability in Urban Local Bodies on 24th May 2023 at Hotel De Oriental Grand, Kohima.

Additional Director and HoD,   Directorate of Municipal Affairs, Solesul Tholre said that the training is an important one for all the Administrators and the related staff of all the 39 Urban Local Bodies of the state as it is a starting step and would be very helpful in maintaining account matters and he hoped that everybody would cooperate for the training sessions and thanked the resource persons present.

Debayan Patra, Chartered Accountant, member Institute of Chartered Accountants of India in his brief speech said that they are looking forward to having tie-ups and MOUs with the Government of Nagaland to impart training to the ULBs of the state and that it is clear that Nagaland is in a very initial stage and probably need a lot of hand holding. He hoped the ones attending the training would extract knowledge in the next two days and whatever issues they have the resource persons would guide them. He said there are lots of challenges but they are there to help with any issues and the faculties present for the training would definitely help them a lot and would be a wonderfully interactive, engaging, and enriching session.

Temjenrenla Kechu, Joint Director, DMA gave a brief account of the existing accounting system in ULBs of Nagaland and said that Nagaland lacks the very concept of accounting and also many are not aware of it. In the absence of a proper system of concept, it is found that maintenance of proper receipts and payment statements, income, and expenditure accounts are poor in all Municipal and town councils in the state. She said all the ULBs are presently maintaining the accounts on cash and all the revenues are collected in the form of cash and most are maintaining the accounts manually instead of a computerized accounting system. Since there is no municipal accounting manual in the state, the ULBs are also unable to maintain their account books properly. So it is now imperative that the trainees present should be well equipped in terms of institutional aspects to meet the upcoming challenges.

All together Administrators and staff of 39 ULBs of the state are participating in the training programme, the topics are Accrual Accounting for Local Bodies, Preparation of Opening Balance Sheet under the Accrual Accounting System, Conversion of Accounts of ULBs from a Cash System to Double Entry Accrual Accounting System, Restructuring of Charts of Accounts under Accrual System of Accounting, Implementation of Double Entry Accrual Accounting System in Computerised Environment, Making Self-sufficient and Self-sustainable Municipal Bodies in India and Local Government Taxation Matters.

The resource persons for the training are CA, Suman Chaudhury, CA Pankaj Goel, and CA, R S Murali. The training programme is being held in collaboration with the Committee on Public and Government Financial Management, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

The programme was chaired by Kevilenuo Solo, Deputy Director, DMA

(Avika Awomi, IA)