I am happy that the IRAS is celebrating its platinum Jubilee, with a Regional seminar to be held in Chennai.
Though I was from the Indian Audit & Accounts Service, I got an opportunity to study the functioning of the
IRAS, when I was in CAG's office and later in the Ministry of Finance, closely associated with separation of
Audit from Accounts. The efficient functioning of the IRAS forming part and parcel of the Railway system
impressed me and this was helpful in my pursuing the policy of separation of Accounts from Audit in the various
Ministries of the Govt, leading to the creation of a separate Indian Civil Accounts service to manage the accounts
of all Ministries other than Defence and Railways.
Subsequently, as FC (Rlys) and cadre controlling Authority for the IRAS, I had met and interacted with a
large number of officers of the cadre and I always appreciated the professional calibre and commendable
performance of most of them, in every sphere of activity with which they were involved. The service has the
backing of the tradition of some decades of highly professional and sincere work of several very good officers.
No wonder that one of the IRAS officers became GM of the Zonal Railway.
The service has the motto of 'Propriety' 'proficiency' and 'productivity' as its goals. Of these three, the first
one , viz., to check expenditure against standards of propriety is the most difficult to adapt and exercise,
especially for officers of a service which forms part of one and the same Ministry. It is all the more commendable
that the IRAS has indeed done very well in this realm also and they are respected by their peers in the other
departments of the Railways.
Along side the growth of the Railways, the Roadways are also growing, as part of the Govts' programme to
improve infrastructural facilities, to achieve a much higher economic growth rate. The Railways will have to
face very stiff competition in the years to come. However with the highly skilled professional acumen of the
IRAS officers, closely working with the Executives in the Engineering, Transportation, Commercial and the
other departments, the Indian Railways, a giant organization in this country will hold its head high.
My felicitations to the IRAS cadre officers on this Happy and Memorable occasion.
MESSAGE
(C. Venkataraman)
Financial Commissioner (Retd.)
C.Venkataraman,
IA&AS
