The reconstituted Public Accounts Committee (PAC) convened on Friday (May 22, 2026), during which BJP members objected to PAC chairperson K. C. Venugopal taking up certain subjects for examination by the committee suo motu.

The subjects include policy reforms in the banking, insurance, and energy sectors.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey is said to have objected to the PAC taking up these subjects on its own. However, Mr. Venugopal is said to have cited precedence, when BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi headed the parliamentary panel and took up issues suo motu. 

“The chairman made it clear that deciding which subjects to take up is the committee’s prerogative and cited precedent in support,” an Opposition member, who declined to be named, told The Hindu.

Despite the difference over the suo motu subjects, sources claimed the meeting was very cordial and members across party lines congratulated Mr. Venugopal for the way he conducted the PAC meetings. 

Heavy backlog

The panel also expressed concern over pending Action Taken Notes (ATNs) and a heavy backlog in the Audit Para Monitoring System, a web-based platform set up by the Comptroller and Auditor-General (C&AG) to track and monitor follow-up action by respective Ministries on audit observations regarding irregularities, procedural violations, financial lapses, or inefficient use of public funds.

“Chaired the first meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (2026-27). The previous PAC (2025-26) successfully presented 26 reports to Parliament. The heavy backlog in the Audit Para Monitoring System is a cause for serious concern, with 1500+ ATNs being pending before various Ministries/Departments. In light of the complex nature of public expenditure in our country, a more cooperative and quicker response to audits from the C&AG is the need of the hour,” Mr. Venugopal said in a post on X.

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India K. Sanjay Murthy was also present at the first meeting of the reconstituted PAC for 2026-27.

The PAC is the parliamentary committee, which examines reports by Comptroller and Auditor-General and then submits its own report.