Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has exhorted Defence Accounts Department (DAD) to ensure judicious use of financial resources through quick & transparent decision making, terming it as the key to strengthening the combat readiness of the Armed Forces.

He said this while inaugurating the two-day Controllers’ Conference of DAD in New Delhi on Monday, describing the officials of the department as the sentinels of the defence finance system who play their part in nation building by managing the allotted funds with financial prudence.

The DAD handles the budget allocated to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), which translates into pay and allowances of personnel, payment to pensioners, processing of financial advice cases for various procurements and processing of first & third party claims, apart from the other auxiliary activities, including internal audit function. In Union Budget 2022-23, MoD has been allocated a total budget of Rs 5.25 lakh crore, including Rs 1.19 lakh crore for pensions.

Rajnath Singh laid special emphasis on ensuring timely payments to beneficiaries,  i.e., soldiers, pensioners and third parties. He hoped that the session on ‘Public Finance Management: Towards a system of faceless transactions’ will pave the way for transparency in defence financial transactions.