QUESTION 4
GS2
10 marks
"The duty of the Comptroller and Auditor General is not merely to ensure the legality of expenditure but also its propriety." Comment.
WRITE IN
7 min
150 words
What the examiner wants
Comment on how the CAG goes beyond legality to examine propriety (wisdom and economy) of public spending.
CommentGive your own view on the statement and back it with facts and examples.
Demand-wise check
- 1Constitutional role: Articles 148–151; DPC Act, 1971≈35 words
- 2Types of audit: legality/regularity, propriety, performance≈35 words
- 3Examples: 2G, coal blocks, Bharatmala/Dwarka Expressway (2023), and limits (no power to enforce, delays, PAC dependence)≈35 words
Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.
Answer plan
Constitutional mandateLegality vs proprietyExamplesLimitsReformsConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Not explaining what 'propriety audit' means
- No example of a CAG report
Draw this
- Pyramid: legality → propriety → performance audit
Value addition
- ExampleCAG's 2023 report on Bharatmala Pariyojana flagged the Dwarka Expressway cost rising to about ₹250 crore per km.CAG Report No. 19 of 2023
- LawCAG (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) Act, 1971 defines the audit mandate.DPC Act, 1971
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 38 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Aditya Srivastava · AIR 1 · Page 5 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 15 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 11 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 7 minutes, then get it checked.