The Chief Secretary, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, IAS, launched an online application for conducting statutory audits of the accounts of the Jammu and Kashmir Government’s line departments on 23rd December 2022. This application is yet another step in the process of making financial management in the UT of J&K more transparent, following closely behind other NIC J&K initiatives such as Online Budgeting (BEAMS), e-Treasuries, Online Billing and Clearance (JKPAYSYS), Government Receipt and Accounting System (JK GRAS), and Jan Bhagidari (which puts the details of budget sanctioned and the status of public works in the public domain). Dr. Mehta praised the local Audit Department and the NIC J&K for creating this facility. It was stated that it is an integrated single platform tool for accessing financial information from government departments, with access to and use of data from BEAMS / JK-PaySyS as an additional tool. It was also revealed that this web-based audit provides understandable insights at all stages in an accessible and analytical manner. It aids in the seamless mapping of both Auditor and Auditee, as well as the management of audit teams and the definition of audit schedules. Furthermore, it generates audit reports based on configurable report templates that are available in PDF and can be shared with users via email. As previously stated, email-based alerts on regular update(s) are also sent to auditees for their information and necessary compliance. The online audit platform enables auditing in accordance with the defined process. The software also serves as a repository for audit-related records and is an effective financial audit tool that significantly improves transparency and accountability. All audit-related communications must go through this system, which will bring much-needed accountability. According to the Chief Secretary, it will make the process easier and more focused. He advised the department to maintain a healthy balance of post-audit and concurrent audit of accounts. The Chief Secretary stated that the system would be improved in terms of dependability and productivity. He requested that the departmental officers distribute the new audit manual, which includes e-audit, to all offices so that they are aware of the new systems. The Chief Secretary also instructed them to connect it to eOffice so that officers can view relevant reports and pending audit paras. He insisted that this mechanism would ensure that the audit was more thorough and comprehensive even if the auditors did not physically visit the auditees.